Who's To Say?
by AngelinaWeasley1
Summary: Friendship, confusion, hate, love and fear all happen for those in the Marauders' era during their last two years at Hogwarts, before they are forced to face a wizarding world terrorized by Voldemort and their tragic fates...
1. The Ride Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters—that is a working dream.

Author's Note: Yay! New fic I'm working on! It's been so long Well, if you read my profile you would know that I absolutely love the Marauders; as such, I decided to finally find some courage and write a story about their time. It spans their last two years of Hogwarts and switches view points, going from the boys, Lily and Snape. From the looks of it it's going to be pretty long, ha ha, and I am going to make Lily and James' relationship progress realistically and gradually. It's not going to be any of that, 'Lily woke up one morning and realized she had been wrong all those years—she loved James Potter'. I can't stand that, lol. I am trying my hardest to have everything coincide with JKR's facts but I may have a slip up here and there, so forgive me in advance if it happens.

It took me awhile to decide on a name for the story but I finally came to rest on a song by Vanessa Carlton. I think it fits perfectly with the Marauder era. So! Now that my introduction is over, the tale can begin. Enjoy.

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**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 1**

_And you say we're too young but maybe you're too old to remember_

_And I try to pretend, but I just feel it when we're together_

_And if you don't believe me you never really knew us_

_You never really knew…_

**- Vanessa Carlton**

The subject of James Potter was mentally challenging for Lily Evans and usually resulted in a headache, anger or both. This said topic was even more difficult to think about after what had occurred last week during OWLs and the many feelings it had left Lily with.

Here she was on the Hogwarts Express going home for the summer—her fifth year had ended—and if she was perfectly honest with herself, she felt horrible. The end of the year was usually a celebratory time but Lily felt like doing anything _but _celebrate. What did she have to be excited about? The loss of a good friend? She envisioned a long, awkward summer at home with no one to spend it with now that she and Severus Snape were no longer on speaking terms.

It was hurtful for Lily to know that she and her close companion were no longer friends, and that he had shattered their bond with a single word. She had thought she knew him better than that, thought he was a genuinely good person under his murky exterior—is this not what she had constantly told her friends? And perhaps Severus was still a good person and had merely called her that awful name because he was embarrassed and panicked at that moment, not truly meaning it. But Lily could not get past it and did not feel she should have to. Severus was supposed to have been her best (male) friend and friends did not shout slurs at friends, especially when the latter friends were trying to _help_. Lily had looked past Severus' immoral discrepancies countless times, telling herself his Slytherin friends were influencing him and that he would outgrow it. But he still had not, and to add insult to injury, he had called her, his best friends of _years_, a Mudblood. Lily could no longer look the other way; Severus had proven himself to not be the boy she had cared about.

It was a terrible feeling and she felt betrayed. Lily could only imagine what her friends and peers were saying when she was not around, that they had been right about Snape all along. And the self-dubbed Marauders must have had a field day all week long, especially James Potter. At this name she inwardly groaned, and the memory of the lake fiasco and Severus dangling in the air played in her mind for about the 10,000th time. Why did Potter and his stupid friend Black have to attack Severus when he had done nothing to them? Their arrogance and all assuming manner was completely repulsive. And then why did Potter have to stand up for Lily, so sincerely, when Severus had uttered that foul word? That was not like usual, self-absorbed self and she found it unsettling.

"Lily, I think you've been in here by yourself long enough!" a voice remarked as the compartment door opened. She looked to it and saw her good friend Dorcas Meadowes.

"Is it my fault you three left me? What do you want me to?" the redhead replied.

"Come out and be social!" Dorcas commented, smiling. She was a rather short witch, a half blood, with dark hair that framed her pleasant face in a bob style cut. She was also a fifth year Gryffindor like Lily and thus her dorm mate, and exuded lively confidence.

"I'm not really in the mood, Dorcas. And besides, the only ones I _want_ to speak to are you three. Where did you run off anyway?"

"Alice is with Frank and Marlene wanted to talk OWLs with her Ravenclaw friends. Why she is _still_ discussing those damned exams is beyond me!"

"And you?" questioned Lily.

"I was… noting the finer points of Quidditch with some of the wizards!" Dorcas innocently claimed. Lily smirked. For her friend to scold Marlene for discussing academics was hypocritical because Dorcas held the same passion for Quidditch! (She was also on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and had been for two years now).

"Then you all seem to be getting along without me just fine! I'm not needed. I've got prefect rounds soon anyway…" Lily informed.

"Yes, but you're _wanted_ Lily!"

"Dorcas. Really. The thought of talking to multiple people is not really what I want to do right now."

Dorcas frowned slightly, looking at her friend.

"Are you still upset over this Snape issue?" she asked.

"If I am, I have every right to be Dorcas," Lily quietly noted, looking at the other witch, "He was my friend for six years, since we were little. Before Hogwarts was even a part of my life."

"I know you two were close Lily, but he is obviously not worth your grief! He thought nothing of calling _you_ that horrid name!"

Lily gave a small nod but did not verbally reply. Dorcas could see that her friend truly was dejected and mentally kicked herself.

"Never mind what I said about coming out. I'll sit with you again," she said, walking in and taking a seat.

"Oh, Dorcas, don't feel obligated to stay. I know you were having a good time." Lily protested.

"And I can resume it here," smiled Dorcas.

"Resume what?" a witch questioned, coming into the compartment and shutting the door behind her.

"Nothing. Where were you?"

"The loo. Ugh, but it was such a headache!" Mary Macdonald answered, rolling her eyes and sitting next to Lily.

"How so?" wondered Lily, eyebrows raised. Mary was the last fifth year Gryffindor witch in their dormitory and was a Muggleborn like Lily. She had curly black hair that was often kept back and a rather serious demeanor.

"Two sixth years decided to magic the floor right near the bathrooms into quicksand and a couple of second and third years got caught in it. The Head Boy and Girl had to come and help sort it all out so it took much longer than anticipated," she reported.

"And you stayed the entire time?" Dorcas wondered.

"Of course—I helped! I really had to go!," Mary answered. Lily laughed lightly and Dorcas smiled, "Where's Alice? She was here when I left."

"Oh, off with Frank Longbottom." Lily told her. Mary smirked knowingly and then said:

"She really does fancy him doesn't she? They've been going out for a month and she's been with him nearly all four weeks!"

"It's fresh," Dorcas interjected, grinning, "What can you say? Wait 'til September comes—they'll have seen each other so much during the summer they'll be knackered out."

The compartment door then opened once more and laughter greeted the girls' ears. (Lily's time alone was clearly finished). Marlene McKinnon strolled into the small room smiling and the companion she had brought with her stood in the doorway. Marlene was a tall witch with long, wavy, copper brown hair that sprawled across her back and gleamed. She came from a pureblood wizarding family and was one of the most amicable, optimistic people at Hogwarts. The person in the doorway was in fact a wizard and not a witch, but did happen to be a fifth year Gryffindor. He was fairly tall and had a head of brown hair.

"You're back," Dorcas began, looking at Marlene as she sat next to her, "Done boring people with OWLs talk?" The smile that had illuminated Marlene's face left momentarily, replaced by a frown. Lily shook her head, hiding a small smile, before turning to the wizard.

"Hello Remus!" she greeted.

"Lily," he smiled in return, "Mary. Dorcas."

"All right?" Dorcas pondered.

"Just fine, thanks."

"Remus walked me here because he needed to get you Lily." Marlene informed.

"Yes. The Head Boy and Girl want us to start our rounds now it seems. Matthew said something about the bathrooms, magic and prefects doing more…" Remus Lupin added.

"D'you see?" Mary said triumphantly.

"Okay then," Lily stated, standing up, "I'll be back in a bit." He moved aside to let her pass first and they started down the corridor.

Lily had been slightly shocked when she had received her prefect badge in the mail last summer. She had spent her entire fourth year thinking that Marlene was the obvious choice for prefect, even though both girls were exemplary students, so it had been somewhat of a surprise, though she accepted it happily. Consequently, she had known Remus was going to get it without much question. His only possible competition had been Frank, and Frank, while a great student, was quite absentminded and disorganized at times.

"So are you looking forward to the holiday?" Remus asked.

"Mmm… not in particular," she admitted.

"Really? Why?"

"I have nothing to look forward to, really. Well, I suppose I can count on my sister ignoring me and not having my friends around. That'll be great." Lily commented, smiling sadly.

"Do you really have no one?" he inquired.

"I used to…" she responded. Remus looked at her then straight ahead, feeling guilty for some strange reason. He knew she meant Snape—she had told him during their fourth year that Snape lived near her.

"But, my parents did say they were planning a trip to New Zealand in August so I do have _that_ to be happy about," Lily noted after a brief period of silence, smiling, "What about you Remus?"

"Well, no trips to New Zealand," he grinned, "But one of the Ma… one of my _mates_, invited me over for two weeks in July."

Lily scrunched up her face slightly, knowing he was referring to one of the Marauders. As much as she liked Remus, she could not _stand_ his friend and rarely hid it. She had wondered many times in the past five years what they had in common or what he saw in them, for he was nothing like them.

"Remus," started Lily, figuring now was the perfect time to ask him her old question, "Why do you spend your time with Potter and Black?" He quickly looked at her sideways and stuffed his hands in his pockets, his face beginning to show signs of being uncomfortable.

"I mean, you are—"

"Nothing like them? I know," he finished.

"Then why—"

"Because they are wonderful friends, Lily." Remus told her softly.

"Are they?" she challenged.

"Yes," he replied firmly, looking at her with conviction. He then sighed wearily, "I know what they do is completely wrong sometimes. I'm very aware of it."

"A lot of times." Lily muttered.

"But unless someone takes the time to look past the surface, to actually get to know them, then… it's hard to explain."

She did not answered and appeared to be in deep thought, looking ahead and frowning.

"Look Lily. What James and Sirius did down by the lake was just uncalled for. It was wrong. Snape… _Severus_, didn't deserve it. I should've put a stop to it, as a prefect and their friend…. I hadn't gotten the chance to really talk to you about it this past week, but, I'm so sorry," he explained.

"_You_ don't have to apologize Remus, and _don't_ apologize for them. They should've had the decency to do it themselves and it shouldn't have been to me. Severus, on the other hand…. As cruel as they were to him Remus, it let me see his true colors and just how cruel _he_ is. He made me feel so stupid." Lily said.

"Well, he obviously has no idea what he's lost." Remus remarked, smiling faintly. She looked at him appreciatively, her green eyes bright.

Their rounds lasted half an hour and without much incidence. As they prepared to go back to their respective compartments and left the Hufflepuff prefects begin their shift, Remus noted that they would be pulling into King's Cross soon enough.

"Yes, a little less than half an hour. I'll change out of my robes in a bit."

"I'll see you off the train then Lily," he remarked, his compartment coming up first.

"See you," she responded, moving onto her own and not daring to look inside of his, least she make eye contact with them.

In another nearby room, a blond boy sitting haughtily on one of the seats with his legs thrown in front of him noticed Lily walk by.

"Oh, oh! Your ex-girlfriend just walked by Severus! Not going to go out and greet her?" he remarked, smirking wickedly and looking at the boy he was talking to. Sixteen year old Severus Snape sat in the corner by the window on the opposite seat of the blond boy, looking sour and forlorn all at the same time. He had been staring out the window but upon being addressed, he turned to his fellow fifth year Slytherin and replied:

"Shut up Rosier."

He appeared angry now. Evan Rosier continued to smirk.

"Well, we _are_ angry! Using surnames and what have you!" he said.

"I hope you're not sulking over filth like that, Snape. Her lot is the first to go you know, when _he_ is triumphant." Walton Mulciber added, sitting next to Rosier. He had brown hair, was a large, muscular boy and a fifth year Slytherin as well.

"Sulk?" Severus repeated, eyebrows raised and arms folded.

"Well we know of the friendship you two had. You wouldn't say you were rather close, Severus?" Derrick Avery commented, looking at him evenly. (He occupied the same seat as Snape). Avery was a tall, slender boy with dark hair and a very shrewd demeanor, also a fifth year Slytherin.

"It's ended now, so what does it matter?" Severus retorted defiantly.

"And it's a good thing it has, even if it did take too long to happen. You don't need to keep company with Mudbloods or other low life!" Rosier told him. The Snape boy glared at him.

"We just don't want you to get lost, Severus. Begin to lose your focus?" Avery remarked, smiling darkly.

"Your concern means the world to me, _Derrick_," Severus sarcastically said, "But I don't need it. I know what I'm doing…" He went back to his window watching. Mulciber glanced at Avery.

Severus' dorm mates, and housemates at that, seemed to have an understanding: while they could bring up his disintegrated relationship with Lily (to a certain extent), they could _not_ bring up the incident by the lake. A third year who happened to be one of Regulus Black's friends made the mistake of openly laughing at Severus and taunting him for what the Marauders had done, trying to win clout in his house. Not caring about the consequences or age difference, Snape made the boy sprout an extra leg before spinning him in the air upside down very violently. He ended the show by placing a nasty hex on the third year; after that, the incident was not talked about again by anyone.

But the sole thing currently dominating Severus' mind was that he had ruined everything with Lily with one word. Since it had happened, inwardly, he had been miserable, skilled at not letting this show to his Slytherin companions. Lily had been the _only_ person in his life who genuinely cared about him and was able to see past his icy exterior—the only person whom he felt comfortable sharing certain parts of himself with. Severus would have done anything for her and instead he had verbally slapped her in the face, because he had reacted poorly to being humiliated; he had attacked Lily because his own pride had been attacked. This was a poor excuse, yes, but it was the sad truth. Severus had been cornered and, with such a large crowd watching, felt fury and embarrassment he had never known before. As a result, he had lashed out at anything in his path… and it just so happened Lily had been in it, trying to _defend_ him….

Potter and Black. Snape's face twisted into a hateful scowl as he continued to peer outside. Those _two_ were the reason for all of this, the reason he had been made a laughing stock of and the reason Lily would no longer speak to him! They thought they could get away with anything because a few idiots at Hogwarts worshipped the ground their disgusting feet walked on! Well Severus absolutely _abhorred_ them, especially Potter, and the werewolf and Pettigrew coward were not far off. The lake had been the very last straw—Severus was completely determined to find something on those four and make them suffer the way he had suffered at their hands countless times. This entire fifth year they had been hiding something, doing something that was wrong… the Slytherin _knew_ it, and he would get them back with it.

But for now, Severus had Lily to think about and what he could say to make her see how truly sorry he was. Even if it took all summer, he was adamant in getting her to speak to him once more. He could not lose Lily….

When Remus entered his very loud compartment, ringing laughter filled the air. This was a common occurrence however and he did not bother to ask what the joke had been.

"Frank is still gone?" he inquired, sitting down on the same seat as his friend with the mused hair and glasses.

"I would be too if I had a permanent snogging partner!" Sirius Black replied, arms folded on positioned on the opposite bench along with the shortest wizard of the four.

"They're called 'girlfriends' Padfoot. I know you're allergic to the name, but if you say it enough times I'm _sure_ you'll start to get over it!" James Potter quipped, grinning, arms behind his head. Remus found himself laughing along with Peter Pettigrew.

"You mean they really _do_ exist?" Sirius answered in mock awe. There was more laughter.

"So! Moony! How is Evans doing?" James wondered, turning to Remus and changing the subject. He usually questioned Remus about Lily since he was the only Marauder she'd willingly talk to unless it was to insult, deny or scold.

"She's all right. I asked her about her summer… she's still upset about the Snape thing," he informed. James gave a slight frown.

"Right," he noted, sounding a bit put out.

"When is she going to get over it? We did her a favor." Sirius remarked. Remus looked at him incredulously then responded:

"It happened last week, not a year ago! She's not going to get over it like that. And you attacked Severus Snape, who was her friend!"

"Don't remind me." James darkly stated, brows furrowed.

"Yes, a _friend_ who called her a Mudblood, thereby finally letting her see his true, slimy self! We opened her eyes—that's a favor," contended Sirius.

"This is true," his best friend added, brightening up once again.

"So you don't care that _you_ attacked _him_ out of boredom?" Remus dryly asked. Sirius, arms folded, swayed with the motion of the train and shrugged.

"It's Snivellus," he simply said.

"All right, why are we wasting our precious breath on him? Enough! I think we can all agree he's a waste of life," interjected James. Peter sniggered but the Lupin boy said reflectively:

"I just think statements like that are the reason Lily isn't very fond of you."

James looked at him, mouth slightly ajar. He then closed it and furrowed his brow, fuming morosely. Sirius glanced at him.

"Moony, you are ruining the mood in here! We do not need a guilt trip right now—the term is over!" Sirius admonished.

"Sorry," he grumbled, looking away. There was silence.

"Well… w-we can look forward to James' place next month! Snape free! Just the Marauders." Peter told them looking from one to the other, trying to make them feel better.

"He speaks the truth… and since Mr. and Mrs. Potter just _adore_ us, we can get away with practically anything!" Sirius answered, grinning.

"Devising wonderful new plans to leave the Marauder signature all around Hogwarts, for Filch to sort out!" James added, smiling wickedly. Remus found a smile twitching his lips despite himself.

"And maybe we can practice perfecting our new found… skills, more. Privately, of course! I'm still having a bit of trouble…" Peter thoughtfully noted. He was referring to the boys' achievement of successfully becoming Animagi that school year.

"You're a _rat_, Wormtail. Is it so difficult?" Sirius remarked.

The door of the compartment then slid open and in walked Frank Longbottom, their fifth dorm mate. He was tall and lean with light brown hair that was always combed back, and currently had a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Back already Frank?" James questioned happily.

"Yes, well, Alice and I had a great time talking, but we thought it'd be best to get back," he replied, sitting down. Sirius snorted loudly.

"Talking. _Right_," he said.

"Wish I could 'talk' with Evans." James noted. His friends laughed.

In a short matter of time, the Hogwarts Express had pulled into the station and all of the young witches and wizards departed from it with their belongings. They said their goodbyes to one another with promises of letters and visits before leaving with their families to begin the start of summer.

"Like I said Lily—I'll ask my parents about having you and Marlene over so you're not dying _all_ holiday!," Dorcas said as the two hugged quickly, "And I'll write of course!"

"Thanks. I'll really need it this summer!" the red head stated, hugging Marlene. They had already said their farewells to Mary, who was already gone, and Alice, who was saying goodbye to her boyfriend.

"Take care for now Lily!" Marlene instructed.

"See you!" Lily waved as her two friends walked to their nearby families and she prepared to turn to hers. In the next moment, Lily's eyes had accidentally locked with someone else's close by: a wizard with black hair. His best friend was right beside him babbling away, they appeared to have just departed from their other friends, and they were en route to greeting an older, married wizarding couple.

When James felt Lily return the gaze and saw her looking at him, an excited grin broke across his face. He winked at her. Lily, realizing she was making eye contact with James Potter, felt an unpleasant jolt; she glowered at him pointedly before turning sharply on her heel towards her parents.

As Mr. and Mrs. Evans engulfed their daughter with hugs, kisses and hellos, Lily noticed that her sister Petunia was absent once more. (She had not been there at the beginning of fifth year to see her sister off either). Lily should have expected this, and did, but there was still a small part of her that was wistful for the relationship they once had to return. Consequently, what she did not notice was a sullen Severus Snape being led away by his mother a few yards off. He glanced at Lily once before preparing to disappear into the other side of the platfor

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A/N: First chapter down! Score. Maybe I'll post the second sooner than a week, as a treat…. Reviews are always welcomed gladly!


	2. Summer Occurrences

A/N: So I posted a bit earlier than anticipated, but hey-- eh! Thank you to my first reviewer!!! :) I hope this chapter brings even more, lol.

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**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 2**

Lily sat at her desk and stared out of her bedroom window upstairs, not taking in much visually. She was too preoccupied mentally with a few instances that had occurred since she had been at home for the summer. It was the very beginning of July so a significant amount of time had not passed since she had left Hogwarts, but it was enough to make her wish she was back at the castle.

Lily had not spoken to Severus Snape once since they had gotten off the Express and was not exactly dying to. He had not attempted to approach her but that was not to say she had not seen him around their nearby neighborhoods. On one Thursday Lily had gone to a nearby park to merely sit and watch the younger children play (and to perhaps escape Petunia's domineering glare). While she sat on a bench and the light breeze swept through her hair, she noticed a dark figure on the other side of the park sitting as well. She took a moment to adjust her eyes on the person only to realize it was Snape. She had not really noticed him before and wondered how long he had been there; either way, he would look her way occasionally. Lily left the park but minutes later. The second time she saw him was on a Sunday when she had gone to the river to read and avoid a visit from a very loud, obnoxious uncle. When Lily arrived and sat by the bank, book in hand, she spotted someone sitting in the thicket of bushes hunched over. There was no doubt in her mind who it was but she had no intention of leaving, especially because he had been there first. Even so, as long as he kept his distance there would be no problems, because as far as Lily was concerned he was not there and she had a novel to read.

A tiny part of Lily felt somewhat compelled to speak to him because she knew he must be feeling incredibly lonely, what with having such a tumultuous family life. She had been the one he came to to get away from the dysfunctional relationships of his home, and now he had no one. But the larger part of Lily told her that it was his fault and to stop feeling pity for Severus—he clearly did not feel pity for anyone. She was sure that once the summer ended and school had begun again, where there were separate Houses, he would be the last thought to cross her mind. In the meantime, while she risked seeing him every time she left her front porch, she would do her best to not waste her thoughts or emotions on Severus Snape.

"LILY!" a voice yelled, floating up the stairs and into her room. She snapped out of her reverie and looked back at her door. It was her sister's voice and it did not sound cheerful.

Lily got up from her chair and made for the stairs, not particularly looking forward to the impending meeting. The girls' parents were currently at the market buying food which left their daughters by themselves; both had denied the invitation to accompany Mr. and Mrs. Evans. When Lily reached the last stair she saw her older sister standing by the closed, front door with her arms crossed and an angry expression on her face.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"You have a _visitor_." Petunia spat. This was the first time they had spoken since their parents had left. Before her sibling could reply, the blonde turned on her heel, moved left and stormed into the living room. A second later, the television was turned on and the volume of it was noticeably loud.

Lily had not even heard the doorbell ring! With an elevated heart rate and mounting dread, she grabbed the doorknob and pulled it in, not entirely surprised at who was on the other side. After a brief silent period that consisted of staring, she coldly inquired:  
"Why are you here?" Severus shifted on his feet, eyes darting away from a moment. Had those instances where he had seen her given him courage?

"Dunno… momentary insanity," he mumbled. She scoffed and seemed ready to close the door, but he hurriedly shouted out:

"Lily, please! I-I'm not asking for your complete forgiveness! I probably don't deserve it—"

"Probably?!" Lily repeated disbelievingly.

"It was the biggest mistake I've made Lily, so far in my life." Severus noted.

"You've made a lot of _mistakes_ since being at Hogwarts, Severus, all of them too cruel to ignore!"

"I know. But none of those cost me to lose someone who I…"

He trailed off, glancing quickly at her face. She was quiet for a moment and looked down, studying the cement. She had an intense frown and looked bothered.

"We were supposed to have been best friends… you said so yourself. I would have _never_ said something so heartless to you." Lily told him.

"I know! And that's what makes it…," Snape's countenance then changed as he was thinking and became twisted with anger, "If _Potter_ and his brainless band of followers hadn't decided!—" At this, her countenance changed as well and she appeared irreversibly frustrated and fed up.

"No more—no more Severus!," she shouted, cutting him off, "No more making excuses, me or you! No more incessant talks of James POTTER! I don't care!" He looked utterly shocked.

"You know, you need to reexamine who you are as a person! Until that day comes, make sure this is the _last_ time you come to my doorstep!"

Lily then slammed the door in her former friend's face, locking it, and zoomed up the stairs to her room at a runner's speed. Petunia peeped her head out at the sound of the door slamming. She looked curiously at the door and then craned her neck to peer up the stairs.

The Evans family sat around their kitchen table later that evening eating their dinner together. Soft music that came from the radio on the counter and could not be heard unless there was silence played in the background.

"Oh, Petunia—darling. Before we left I checked the post and you've got a letter from the university. I'll give it to you right afterward," her mother, Janice, remarked.

Petunia's face lit up. She was starting her first year at a university in London in September and was very excited. She was going to be living on campus which meant that both of the Evans girls were going to be living away from home in a few months. The oldest child nodded, smiling.

"Did you girls do much while we were out?" Mr. Evans, Oliver, inquired.

"Oh, of course Dad! We managed to climb Kilimanjaro _and_ held a three ring circus in the backyard!" Lily quipped good naturedly. Her father chuckled appreciatively while her mother smiled. Petunia looked at both of her parents before focusing on Lily.

"Actually, Lily's _friend_ came over for a bit," she announced. The red head stopped mid-bite, fork frozen in the air, and stared at her sister.

"Did he? Severus, sweetheart?" replied Janice. Lily glanced at Mrs. Evans.

"It was a short visit," she mumbled, putting her fork down.

"He hasn't been around at all so far! How is he?" Oliver pondered.

"I don't really know." Lily stated, grimacing slightly.

"Really? I thought you two were the _closest_ of mates! Inseparable!" Petunia commented in a sweet yet condescending tone. A pair of green eyes found Petunia's and the owner's face was far from pleasant.

"Things change." Lily bluntly noted. It was clear she did not want to discuss it.

"That quickly? Did something happen at your dear Hogwarts? I never thought I'd see the day when—"

"We're not friends anymore, all right?! Leave it at that!" the witch exclaimed loudly, cutting her sister off. She then got up from the table without excusing herself and left the room.

"Oh dear, I wonder what happened!," Janice said, looking concerned, "That was unlike Lily!"

"Petunia, maybe you should go check on her in a bit…" Mr. Evans suggested, a small amount of worry in his voice. His oldest daughter looked down at her plate, somberness playing about her features.

Fifteen minutes later, a weak knock rapped on Lily's closed bedroom door. She lay on her bed facing the window, which displayed a setting sun.

"Yes?" she called, sighing. Her door creaked open but Lily had no desire to turn around and see the person who had knocked.

"Mum and Dad sent me to… to see if you're okay." Petunia reported, standing in the doorway.

"I'm fine, thanks." Lily answered.

"They want to know if you are going to finish eating."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"So you're just going to stay in here?" the blonde wondered a little impatiently.

"Yes," she admitted icily.

"Look, Lily," Petunia began in an exasperated voice, still talking to her sister's back, "I didn't mean… I didn't know there was actually a… problem, with you two."

"And you didn't bother to ask either." Lily said.

"Well…" There was a moment of silence in which both waited for the other to say something.

"So, it's really done?" Petunia asked.

"Yes," the red head stated. She thought about leaving her answer at that but for some reason felt she should elaborate a bit more, "He's… not who I thought he was, or who he _used_ to be."

"At least you finally saw it," the blonde remarked after a little more silence. She then moved from the doorway and closed the door before anything else could be said.

Lily awoke the next morning feeling a little comforted in the fact that she and Petunia had had a small reconciliation of sorts the previous night… or at least she thought. Perhaps with Snape out of the picture, the two sisters could begin to rebuild their relationship; Petunia had always disliked him.

After Lily had showered and gotten dressed for the day she prepared to go downstairs to eat breakfast—she could smell enticing aromas that her mother was, no doubt, the creator of. As she put her left foot into her slipper and was about to leave her room, she heard tapping on her window. Lily looked and saw an owl peering at her through the glass, parchment on its leg.

"Beatrice!" she noted happily, recognizing the gray and white bird at once. She opened the window and Dorcas Meadowes' owl flew in, landing on the foot post of the bed. Beatrice hooted as Lily gently removed the letter from her and then pet her.

"If you want something to nibble I'll have to go get it," she stated. The owl ruffled her feathers, gave a small coo and then hopped onto Lily's made bed, settling down. She took this to mean Beatrice was okay without any food…

Lily pulled out her chair and sat in it, starting the letter. (It was the second one Dorcas had sent so far in the summer).

_Lily—_

_So I've asked my parents about allowing you and Marlene to visit and they said it was no problem! You can come over the start of next week on any day you like—just write me back and let me know when. We'll meet in Diagon Alley at noon on that day so all you have to do is get to London, which I know won't be a problem for you. Oh! Maybe you can take the Knight Bus! You've never been on it and it's definitely a wicked ride worth taking! Well, _I _think so anyway…_

_Send your reply back with Beatrice. I can't wait to see you! I feel like such a good friend, whisking you away from your horribly drab life!_

_Dorcas_

Lily smirked at the last line, thinking it was such a Dorcas comment, but her spirits had risen greatly. She could now get away from her home and see her friends, be in the magical world she had come to love once again; it would be a relief. She got up from the desk and left her room for the kitchen, Dorcas' letter in hand. When she arrived with a smile on her face, her mother was standing in front of the stove stirring something.

"Mum, may I go?" Lily pondered quickly, standing near the stove as well.

"Er, hello dear! May you… go? G-Go where?" Janice responded. Petunia, who was at the table, looked up at the other two.

"You remember Dorcas?"

"Of course."

"And me mentioning possibly visiting her during the holiday?" added Lily.

"Yes…" Mrs. Evans said.

"Well I've just gotten a letter from her officially inviting me for next week. May I go?"

"I see no reason why not."

"Thanks Mum!" she answered.

"Here—eat." Janice told her, handing her a plate of food that had been sitting on one of the burners. Lily took it and sat down at the table.

"What are you doing today Petunia?" she wondered. The older girl pursued her lips slightly at this inquiry, perhaps unable to take the cheerfulness that accompanied it.

"I'm spending the day with Felicia," she remarked airily. (Felicia was Petunia's best friend from secondary school).

"Here?" Lily trepidly inquired. Her sister and her best friend were too much to handle when they were together, for they were too much alike.

"What for?," Petunia replied, with some outrage in her voice, "No, we're going to the beach with her family!"

Mr. Evans then walked into his kitchen, clapping his hands once.

"Well I'm off to work then! My lovely wife, daughters—have a great day. Petunia, have a wonderful time at the water, and Lily, keep your mum occupied."

"Goodbye Oliver." Janice stated as they finished a small kiss. He waved farewell to his girls and departed.

"Yes Lily, what would you like to do today?" her mother pondered, turning to her.

After she had eaten, Lily went back to her room and wrote a short reply to Dorcas' inquiry.

_Dorcas—_

_Thank you—your letter couldn't have come at a better time! I've been pretty bored, having no one to talk to, and not that much time has even passed yet! Anyway, the Knight Bus sounds like a good option and it would mean I wouldn't have to ask my parents for any help. I'll come on Tuesday, shall I? I'll see you then at noon in Diagon Alley—can't wait!_

_Lily_

"Beatrice." Lily said, turning to her bed. The owl hooted expectedly and stuck out her leg.

"Thank you! Have a safe flight back to Dorcas, all right?" The red head stroked the bird a few times before it spread its wings and flew out of the window. The sixteen year old witch watched Beatrice go with a slight smile on her face. Soon she would be able to leave as well.

The remaining days before Lily went to Meadowes' home passed without much excitement. She spent time with her parents and occasionally her sister, though it was never for very long. This was a significant improvement from the recent past, however; back then, Petunia would not have willingly been in the same room as her younger sister. Lily saw no sign of Severus during any of her outings in those days and pondered if he was truly going to leave her alone.

When Tuesday morning came, Lily had most of her things already packed and ready to go. She bitterly wished she were 17 so she could magically shrink all of her belongings and make things that much simpler, but she had half a year to go before that could come true. Mrs. Evans cooked her daughter breakfast but was clearly concerned Lily was getting to her destination completely on her own.

"You don't need me for anything?" Janice questioned.

"No Mum," Lily responded, smiling, "It's not that challenging, and I'm 16! I'm not a child."

"I know sweetheart, but a mother always worries, no matter the age of her children."

Some time later Lily stood in front of her front door with her one suitcase by her side. (Her wand was secure in one of the front pockets and she had practiced retrieving it efficiently in under three seconds).

"I'm going to walk to the end of the street and catch the bus Mum," she noted.

"Yes. Be careful Lily and have a wonderful time! Keep _some_ contact with us!"

"I will—I'll get a hold of a telephone at some point! Bye Mum, love you. Tell Dad I said goodbye." Lily kissed her mother on the cheek and then called into the house:

"See you Petunia!" There was a brief period of silence before it was answered.

"Right then," came Petunia's voice.

"Take care love." Janice stated as Lily shook her head and rolled her eyes in a good natured way. The red head heard the door close behind her as she grabbed her luggage and walked towards the end of her street. She had decided to wait and hail the bus when her neighborhood was almost absolutely deserted, and the only person whom she could see out was a ten year old playing in his front yard.

Lily stopped at the corner of Autumn and Whitmore and waited, her green eyes on the boy. She felt a little foolish and knew that if anyone happened to see her they would wonder why exactly she was simply standing there. She had to suppress a snort of laughter as she thought about how her sister would react to this, perhaps horrified to know she was standing eerily on the corner like "a freak".

"Stanley!" a woman's voice shouted. The child in his yard stopped what he was doing and looked ahead. Lily heard him groan and then he got up and walked straight to his front door. At this, she quickly stepped off the curb and threw out her arm, thumb ready.

Lily jumped right back onto the pavement as a large, purple, triple decker bus came flying into view and screeched to a halt a little ahead of her. Somewhat alarmed, she strode up to the open doors of the bus and saw a wizard in a uniform standing on the stairs.

"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus! We'll take you wherever you'd like to go!," he proclaimed to the sky. He then looked down at Lily and grinned, "Where to, love?"

"Diagon Alley please," she replied.

"No worry! Here, let me take that for you."

The wizard took her suitcase from her hand as Lily ascended the steps and the doors closed.

"Than you," she said.

"Of course! I'm Jude, and the driver is Ern." She looked at the small, old wizard sitting behind the wheel.

"It'll be five Knuts, miss," Jude informed as he began to walk, "Where would you like to sit?"

"Oh. Er… first floor, I suppose," she responded, following him and retrieving her wizarding money from her bag. They moved towards the back of the bus near a green recliner chair that had a small wooden coffee table in front of it. Jude put her suitcase in a storage compartment and then, pointing at the chair, said:

"Matches your eyes."

"T-Thanks." Lily muttered, blushing a bit and giving him the Knuts. He smiled at her and then went back up to the front of the bus.

"Off with her Ern!" he called. As she prepared to sit down, the bus suddenly shot forward with an enormous amount of noise and Lily was thrown into her seat.

"Whoa!" she uttered to herself.

Needless to say, the ride was not a smooth one. The bus was precarious, swerved far too much and was jerky. Why had no one ever told her how dodgy the Knight Bus was, she pondered as she gripped the arms of the chair and slid to the right. _Severus never mentioned anything…_. Snape had been the first one to inform Lily of what the Knight Bus was, along with so many other things; it had been during their second year on a windy day as they walked the grounds. Lily realized she was thinking about Severus Snape and put an instant stop to it, determined to diminish his part in her life. As an alternative, she chose to survey the bus and inspect the other passengers. There were not a lot of witches and wizards occupying the bus—six that she could count on all three levels. She caught the eye of a middle aged witch in robes sitting on the first floor as well and half-smiled. The woman smiled back.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she wondered.

"Yes." Lily answered.

"Lovely," the witch nodded, "Where are you headed?"

"To Diagon Alley, to meet a friend."

"I'm going to London as well, but to the Ministry of Magic. I've got business to handle but don't expect much to happen—they can be pretty incompetent over there you know!"

Lily did not actually know but nodded all the same.

"It's a real shame Albus Dumbledore refuses to take anything up, especially Minister. Now _there's_ a powerful, capable wizard if I've ever seen one! A force to reckon with," the woman explained.

"Oh, absolutely. He's a wonderful headmaster!" Lily added, glad to have a topic that was so agreeable.

"I'm sure. Extraordinary man! Though, his… weakness for Muggles could be less pronounced. It takes away from his reputation ever so slightly."

The good feeling the red head had had upon Dumbledore being brought into the conversation rapidly vanished. This seemingly warm witch was prejudiced; how would she react if she knew Lily was a Muggleborn? _I don't even want to give her that chance_. Lily threw the woman a forced smile before reaching into her bag and pulling out a book.

"Excuse me," she stated, opening it. The older woman's mouth was faintly ajar and she appeared momentarily taken aback, but she regained her composure a second later and briskly turned the other way.

When Lily's destination was the next the Knight Bus arrived to, the Gryffindor girl was relieved to get off. Jude retrieved her suitcase and saw her down the stairs.

"Glad to be of service to you miss!" he told her.

"Thank you Jude," she remarked.

"Hope to see you on the Knight Bus again! Soon!"

Jude waved as the doors shut and the loud bang resounded, indicating its departure.

"Not if I can help it!" Lily mumbled in the same, cheery tone, bending down to get her wand. She faced the brick wall, tapped the necessary bricks and watched as they transformed themselves. She thought about maybe going into the Leaky Cauldron for a minute in order to get a butterbeer, but abandoned this notion when Diagon Alley appeared before her eyes.

Lily smiled and walked inside, familiarity seeping into her body. There was a good amount of wizards walking around visiting the shops and she could see that most of them were young—school aged; they were spending time here while their parents worked. Lily checked her watch and saw that it was a quarter to noon. She was early and so decided to replace that butterbeer with an ice cream sundae while she waited for Dorcas to arrive. She walked to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor but found a surprise outside before she could even walk into the building.

"Marlene!" she exclaimed, seeing her friend sitting at one of the tables with a large bowl of pink ice cream.

"Oy, Lily!" Marlene replied, her face brightening up. She dropped her spoon and stood up as Lily put her luggage near a chair and hugged her.

"Perfect! I don't have to wait alone now!" Marlene noted, smiling.

"How long have you been here?" Lily asked.

"Since half past 11. I was with my dad at the Ministry but I left because I got bored." (Mr. McKinnon was a member of the Wizengamot).

"So how has your summer been?" Lily questioned as the two sat down at the table.

"Oh, pretty enjoyable! Would you like some of my sundae, by the way? There's loads as you can see! Anyway, Mitchell's been reeling about getting back to the castle so he can use magic again!..."

* * *

A/N: Second chapter next Thursday. Til then!


	3. Swimming Pools, Dungbombs and Spells

A/N: To _evershort_, just wanted to say that Stan is the conductor guy when Harry goes to Hogwarts but he was really young then, so it wouldn't be possible for him to have been there in his parents' days too. It's the same Ern though :)

Anyway, here is the third chapter.

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 3**

"Where is he? I would like to start before my 65th birthday rolls around!" James Potter remarked, standing next to the entrance of his home's kitchen and looking somewhat vexed. His voice held a tincture of impatience.

"Maybe he got lost… wouldn't be his first time." Sirius responded, snorting. His arms were crossed casually yet it made him look ultimately cool and collected, a signature trademark. He was standing on the other side of the entrance.

"He's been awhile, yes, but it's not like we haven't got all the time in the world." Remus noted, standing just on the inside of the kitchen.

"We don't Moony, we don't. Can you prove it?," James replied, sounding serious, "Besides, it's more the principal! You don't say you will be down in a second and are still absent ten minutes later. That is _clearly_ 600 seconds!"

Remus intended to frown a bit but it came out as a smirk instead.

"Well, while we wait for Wormtail to finally materialize, I'm going to fuel myself for this daunting Quidditch match!" Sirius announced, walking into the Potter's large kitchen. The room was very bright due to the high windows that lined the four walls.

"More time wasted," James sighed. His face then suddenly lit up as he finished, "Ah well! I cannot think of a better way to spend time!" He followed suit and walked into the room.

"Food?" Remus posed, smiling wryly, turning to face him.

"Isn't eating all we ever do?" Sirius answered, looking at the Lupin boy incredulously.

"That and flying. Two greatest joys in the world!" James added dreamily, handing his best friend a plate from a cupboard. One was offered to Remus, who shook his head.

"Our OWL results should be in in about two weeks," he commented.

"Biggest thrill of my life." Sirius retorted evenly, moving to the table and pulling a chair out to sit.

The young werewolf opened his mouth to answer smartly, but before a word could escape high pitched squeaking met their ears, followed closely by incessant barking. The three boys all became immobile for a moment and then saw a rat streak into the kitchen, being pursued by a canine that greatly resembled a russell terrier. The dog was barking and wagging his tail rapidly, clearly agitated and excited. The rat emitted one final screech as it rounded the table and, in the next instant, transformed into the form of a rather short teenage boy. He rolled and came to stop right by the legs of Sirius' chair.

"Peter, what the hell?!" Sirius exclaimed, looking down at him. The fourth Marauder gasped and caught his breath as the now silent dog-like animal sauntered up to him and began sniffing him.

"Are you completely daft?!," James hissed through gritted teeth, glancing quickly and nervously at the entrance, "My _mum_ is here you prat!"

"I'm sorry James, I really am!," Peter rushed to say, standing up. He looked upset, "I didn't mean!... I was practicing transforming, just for a minute, a-and the door was open a bit. Stranger got in right when I was a… y-you know, and he chased me out! I was trapped upstairs for most of the time, trying to run from him!" They all looked down at the canine. He returned their gazes, sitting in unassuming position on his hind legs.

James snapped his fingers and called his pet's name:

"Stranger." The one year old Crup trotted obediently over to his owner, wagging his tail.

"I told you not to change during the day, especially with open doors!" James said crossly, scowling.

"Have you forgotten what we can do is _illegal_, Pettigrew? We are not registered and under aged!" Sirius mentioned sourly. Peter hung his head.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled dejectedly. An awkward silence then seeped into the room, settling upon the boys' heads.

"Look," James started, breaking through the discomfort, "You didn't mean it. It won't happen again. It's fine. Do… do you want some food before we go play Quidditch?" Peter looked up as Vivienne Potter came walking gracefully into her kitchen where her son and his three friends were.

"Eating again boys? I hear commotion, come to investigate and find my kitchen infested with teenagers," she remarked smiling. Stranger jogged over to her, yipping once happily.

"Where there's food, there's a Marauder," her only child grinned.

"And apparently the self serving plates!," she said, moving towards James and taking the dish from his hand, "You know these are only for special occasions, dear!"

"It was James' idea Mum!" Sirius quickly told her, giving her his plate and flashing a charming smile. James glared at the Black boy before saying:

"My hunger _is_ special, Mum."

"Then _I_ will make something for you. Sit down all of you." Vivienne instructed, taking her wand out. They did as they were told.

Vivienne Potter was an elderly witch, whose once jet black hair was now a lovely, glossy mixture of white and gray. She was warm and kind-hearted and loved her son endlessly; it was why she had taken Sirius Black in so openly and readily when he had appeared on the Potter's doorstep last winter.

…

_A lone figure tread the rubble covered path to the two, white double doors of the Potter manor. The figure was surrounded by well-kept grass underneath large, colorful bushes and entertaining shrubs in the shape of distinct, magical creatures. The sun had set hours previously and fierce, ice cold winds penetrated the dark night sky, blowing the solitary person's hair all about._

_When he finally reached the front doors, having fought against the tenacious wind, the person adjusted the strap of his large bag on his shoulder before ringing the doorbell. The look on his face told of many emotions: intense anger, resolve, resentment, and just the smallest trace of raw helplessness. He rang the bell again just for something to do, but less than 30 seconds later the left door was opened by someone from the inside. Unaltered relief swept through the visitor's body as he saw who had answered the call of the bell._

"_Bloody Merlin—Sirius!" James shouted, grinning and opening the door wider. Sirius could see the light from the vast chandelier in the hallway illuminating the floor and felt the warmth of the manor._

"_Wait…," the Potter boy began, now looking thoroughly concerned, "It's after ten o'clock at night, and you've shown up out of thin air practically, without notice. How'd you get here?" Sirius glanced at his friend and then stared down embarrassedly. He appeared overwhelmingly conflicted as well._

"_Sirius, mate, what's happened? What's up?" James questioned seriously, eyeing the pack on his back. He was now worried and highly alert. He peered into the dark that engulfed his front yard._

"_I can't do it anymore James. I'm done. My family... they're absolutely rancid! Deluded," he finally explained, gazing firmly into the hazel eyes of his closest friend, "I don't want to live with them anymore. I can't. I… I thought about maybe going to Andromeda, but she... she has her own family and…" Sirius trailed off, losing his confidence again and starting to feel embarrassed. He was staring at the ground._

"_If I have to hear Voldemort's name one more time…" he muttered. _

_James was looking at him as though he had never properly seen him before, as if Sirius had been keeping a tiny portion of his personality to himself and had now revealed it._

"_Come in. It's freezing as hell out there!" James said, that same new look still in his eyes but smiling as well. Sirius grinned in return, a notably sad grin, and moved into the building as James closed the door._

"_James, love—who is possibly calling at this time of night?!" Vivienne Potter anxiously asked, coming down the elegant staircase on the right in her bed robe and with her wand out._

"_Cheers Mum." Sirius greeted sheepishly, stepping out so she could see him. He had been calling Vivienne 'Mum' since he was 13, about the time he had given up on his real mother._

"_Sirius!," she responded, clearly shocked, "Sweetheart, what are you doing here? Were you coming and we simply forgot?"_

"_Uh, no. I... well, I-I kind of needed a place to… my family--" he stumbled, some of the helplessness seeping through._

"_It's all right dear—you don't have to say anything more." Vivienne noted tenderly, cutting him off. She got the gist of the situation from the bag on the boy's back and the pleading looks being sent her way from her son._

"_He's an early Christmas gift!" James proclaimed. Sirius snorted, half grinning._

"_You can stay in James' room tonight. We'll get you set up in one of the extra rooms tomorrow!" Vivienne informed. Sirius nodded gratefully._

"_Ew, nevermind. I've changed my mind—I want to return him."_

_  
"Sodding prick." Sirius murmured, half smiling, for only James to hear. They began to climb the steps. Neither one of them could believe that five days before Christmas itself, they would now be living together permanently outside of Hogwarts, like the brothers they felt they were._

…

"Remus claims he's not hungry!" Sirius sang, putting his chin in his hands and looking at the person in question.

"Of course you are, sweetheart!," Vivienne remarked, sending cooking utensils and food floating through the air, "You're about to play Quidditch aren't you? You'll be glad you ate!"

"Oh, a-all right." Remus choked out, glowering at Sirius.

"I know you boys will be out there for quite some time, so just remember to finish by the time the sun sets. I'm sure your father will be back by then…" Mrs. Potter commented.

"Mum, our wards are basically impenetrable. We could stay out until the sun _rose_ if we wanted to!" James reasoned, referring to the safety wards Mr. Potter had placed upon the manor. With a dark wizard at large, their family, amongst many others, were not taking unnecessary risks.

"This may or may not be the case James, but you know why I want you in before night comes. _You_ may love taking dangerous chances but I try to avoid them, especially when it comes to my family," she told him.

"Raving mad dark wizards ruin everything," he sighed quietly, knowing it was pointless to answer. Peter chuckled as Remus grinned.

Once the four Gryffindors were outside in the Potter's vast backyard, having eaten, they headed straight for the broom shed.

"Sixteen years old and still have restrictions placed upon us like we're first years!" James commented, opening the door and grabbing the first broom.

"Well, these are unstable times…" Remus pointed out, accepting the Cleansweep James had given him.

"Yeah… I mean, that group of Muggles that was killed by Death Eaters last week?" Sirius added, taking his personal broom from James (a Comet, the newest edition).

"Death Eaters," Peter stated, gulping, "They're _horrible_." With slightly shaking hands, he grabbed the other Cleansweep that James offered.

"Rather them than _him_," Sirius said grimly, "Besides, they're not all that scary. How often did you run and hide from Lucius Malfoy when he was at Hogwarts with us? And you've met my cow of a cousin Bellatrix. They're followers—nasty at best, but not terrifying." Peter looked at him in awful surprise, eyes large, and even Remus looked somewhat alarmed.

"B-Bellatrix is a… is one of them?!" Peter inquired breathlessly.

"Well it may not be the headline in the _Prophet_, but from what I heard at Grimmauld Place before I left, yes. That husband of hers, Lestrange, and his brother are well-known worshippers of Voldemort. Not to mention she's always been incredibly foul and hateful of anyone not a pureblood." Sirius elaborated.

"He's so… powerful! I'd die if I had to go up against them." Peter remarked, appearing shaken.

"He's only powerful because people are willing to let him be, when they give into him." Remus responded, looking at the Pettigrew boy.

"Exactly," James smiled, satisfied and leaning on his own Nimbus 1500. (It was the latest the line had designed and it had been a 16th birthday gift from his parents), "I can't stand the lot of them! They're cowards, really, and they have twisted philosophies, and that includes the head twit himself!" Sirius gave a short laugh as Peter smiled diminutively, and unsurely.

"But enough Voldemort talk! Quidditch!" grinned James, pulling a cherry wood crate out of the shed.

"Prongs and I obviously aren't on the same team, to be fair to you two." Sirius shrewdly noted, smirking.

"How very kind." Remus answered wryly, half smiling.

"I'm letting everything out but the Snitch." James told them.

"Must we play with the Bludgers?" sighed Peter.

"Wormy, that's what keeps it interesting!" Sirius said.

"I've got Moony, as Chaser," the sole Potter child announced.

"The hell you do! You had Lupin the last time we played, remember? It's your turn to rent out Peter." Sirius corrected him.

"I'm Keeper then Padfoot. I'm not flying against James." Remus notified.

"Who said I was going to be Chaser?" wondered James, amused.

"That's not even funny Prongs." Peter flatly stated. The others laughed. Peter was the worst Chaser out of them all but he did do a pretty decent job when he Kept.

"Then it's you and me Jamesy," the Black boy said, grinning wickedly.

"I know. I feel rather sorry for you!" The balls shot into the air, followed shortly thereafter by the four wizards on brooms.

They played Quidditch for three hours. When they were done and had put the balls back into their crate, it was mutually decided they would go for a ride around the countryside. They knew had they asked permission they may have been denied, and thus it is the reason they simply did not ask. They rode for about two hours, taking occasional breaks on the ground near or far from populated areas; they arrived back at the Potter residence as the sun was dipping below the horizon and stored everything back in the shed.

"Dad! When did you get back?" James hailed as the four teenagers made their way into the sitting room on the second landing. It was exquisitely decorated like almost every other room in the massive house and had tall, cherry wood bookshelves lining the walls. A large, beige world globe stood in the middle of the room on its stand.

"Around five o'clock," Mr. Potter noted happily, putting down his paper and looking at them from his chair, "Your mother tell you I was in here?"

"Yeah. She's making dinner, which is great, because we're ready to eat an entire hippogriff."

Harold Potter nodded, smiling from his elegant seat. He had spent the previous hours of the day at the Ministry of Magic with old and new officials, having meetings, giving advice and checking on the general progress of things. (He himself had once been an influential Ministry official for two decades much earlier in his life). Harold still retained much of his height that he had possessed in his youth and his white hair, that had once been a chestnut brown, had obvious signs of formerly being as unruly as his son's hair was. James often forgot his father's age because his spirit was so young, free and rebellious—it was the source of his own spirit. Harold had taught his son everything, and with his wisdom there had been a lot to teach; he encouraged James' tendency to seize every moment that came his way and his carefree beliefs regarding life.

"So you just got back then? Have a good time?" Harold pondered.

"Of course Dad." James replied.

"When don't we?" Sirius added.

"A little oddity, though… I didn't see you all out there when I came home. Vivienne told me you'd be around the backyard…" Mr. Potter mentioned smoothly, blue eyes glinting behind his glasses. A panicked silence hit the four friends and they knew better than to glance at one another.

"Well, we _were _around the backyard… you know how big it is!..." James thoughtfully responded.

"Hmm…. You're lucky your mother is so trusting," Harold said, returning to his paper and trying to downplay a conspicuous smirk forming on his lips, "I'll see you in a bit for supper, boys. I'm sure your mother told you to was up as well before you eat, so be good children and do so." James looked at his friends, laughter in his eyes, and they turned and left the sitting room to go and spruce up their windswept bodies.

Dinner was a pleasant affair. The ample food was good, Mr. Potter told the teenagers about his dangerous yet thrilling adventures of his early years, and Mrs. Potter lovingly told them he was exaggerating. They offered to clean up (mainly so James could sneak some firewhiskey from his father's supply in the kitchen) and then played Exploding Snap in the first floor drawing room.

"Peter, give it a rest—it'll grow back eventually! And if not by the time Hogwarts starts back, then you can have someone magic it back for you!" Sirius commented loudly, lounging comfortably in his chair. The person he was speaking to was standing in front of a mirror on the left side of the marble fireplace, examining himself.

Peter had a chunk of his hair missing on the right side and what was in its place was a round circle of skin. He looked distraught and had lost it during a particularly lively round of their card game. It was a little past midnight and the Marauders were in Sirius' room listening to a rock band on the Wizard Wireless.

"I can't go around with a patch of my hair gone—I'll look ridiculous!" Peter shot back at Sirius.

"Sure you can! It's a preview for the future, you know, when you're balding." James answered merrily from the bed. Peter frowned heavily then mumbled:

"Such great friends I have."

"The best!," Sirius noted grinning. He then glanced at Remus who was sitting in the other chair and happened to have his eyes closed, "Oy! Werewolf! Wake up!" Remus started, eyes opening, then blinked several times.

"Sleeping already?" James asked.

"Not intentionally," he yawned, "I'm sorry guys. But we spent all day flying, and then the full moon's next week… you know how I get before then."

"It _is_, isn't it?" Peter said, finally turning around and sounding surprised.

"Yeah…"

"Yes!" Sirius and Remus replied at the same time, but the former sounded excited and the latter, glum.

"What are you going to do? I mean, without the Shrieking Shack…" the Pettigrew boy commented.

"It depends on where I am. If I'm at home then my parents… I already have a precautionary room there. But if I'm still here, at the Potters'… n-not that I _want_ to burden your mum and dad with that James—"

"Moony, we've already talked about it and they would be more than willing to oblige," smiled James, "They've even got something set up in case you are here!" Remus smiled bashfully, turning a bit red.

"It'd be easier that way to be with you," Sirius stated, "But even if you go home we could demand to visit our dear friend during his time of need to lend our support as mates! Either way, we're alongside you."

"I don't know," Remus began, appearing conflicted, "Maybe you three shouldn't be there with me this moon… maybe it's best if I'm alone."

"What are you talking about? That's not an option! Padfoot needs to rise again, Remus—Padfoot needs to rise _again_!"

"We became Animagi for _you_, Lupin. It makes the whole transformation easier for you." James reminded him.

"I know, I know! But, it's just… it's summer and we're not under the protective umbrella of Hogwarts…" Remus pointed out.

"And you weren't for the first ten years of your life either."

"Nor did you have anyone to keep you in check," Sirius added, "Things are different this go round. We'll be fine! No one has gotten hurt yet have they?" There was silence as Remus reviewed their arguments in his head and weighed them against his own.

"No…" he admitted.

"So it's settled! All right then—to continue our discussion about our annual beginning-of the-year Hogwarts greeting!"

"Brilliant," James grinned wickedly, "I think we agreed we can rule out enlisting Peeves for help. He's too unpredictable."

"What about Dungbombs?" Peter suggested.

"That is so juvenile and third year—literally," snorted Sirius.

"Oh yeah…" He recalled their stunt involving Dungbombs at the start of their third year at Hogwarts.

"Well, my working idea involves Filibusters, the Slytherins and a pleasant surprise at breakfast."

"Nice," laughed James, "Maybe it could end up with slug pus for the note of finality."

"That'd be great." Peter smiled.

"As a prefect I'm pretending I don't hear this conversation." Remus remarked.

"Like it matters," chuckled Sirius, "You'd never stand in our way Moony. Prefect though you may be, you're a Marauder first and foremost and we have duties to uphold!"

"Maybe one day I'll make good on one of my threats. I _do_ want to be Head Boy next year."

"We want the same for you too! All those privileges we'd get!..."

"Yeah, but with Evans as Head Girl all those dreams would die. You know how she is. With us." Peter pointed out. Sirius looked like someone has popped his prized balloon.

"I forgot about that. She will be a problem won't she? I mean, assuming she even gets it…"

"Not if you three act like civil human beings." Remus countered.

"Where's the fun in that? Right Prongs?" He looked to his best friend, as did the other two, and James appeared taken aback.

"Uh, o-of course!" he stumbled. Consequently, he had been thinking about what Remus had said on the train back from school last month regarding Lily's attitude about him and his behavior.

"I think we lost his attention the minute Evans came up." Peter smirked.

"I'm not that shallow Pettigrew, thanks." James voiced, scowling. But there was some truth in his friend's observation. In fact, James had spent a lot of time this summer thinking about Lily Evans, more so than he had done any previous summer.

* * *

"… and it's called a swimming pool?" Marlene asked uncertainly, staring at the shape in the ground full of water in which her two friends were floating.

"Yes Marlene." Lily laughed, looking at her.

"It's just water McKinnon! And you know it's hot out here—the water feels great!" Dorcas added, grinning.

"You must be one of the few wizarding families to have one." Marlene noted, unwrapping the towel from around her and preparing to get in.

"Yeah, well don't forget my dad's Muggleborn. He insisted to Mum one would come in handy for the summers!"

"Thank God for that." Lily commented serenely, putting all of her body underwater so that only her head was dry.

"So OWL results will be in quite soon." Marlene told them, wading in the water with her arms out.

"And it starts." Dorcas sighed, spreading her body out and beginning to back stroke.

"I'm just saying!," she claimed defensively, "We'll find out which classes we carry on with."

"Well, one good thing there—we get free periods from now on!"

"And Gryffindor is in need of a new Quidditch captain since Berkeley left this year. That should interest you Dorcas." Marlene said. The Meadowes girl, who had resorted to floating on her back, half smiled.

"This is true, but I'm not expecting the badge at all," she remarked.

"Why not?" Lily asked, coming up some.

"Because someone has it coming, and his name is James Potter!," The redhead made a loud noise of disapproval but Dorcas continued, "He's been on since second year, a year longer than me, and he's a terrific player."

"One more thing to inflate his head…" grumbled Lily. Dorcas smiled then said:

"We know you don't like him Lily—hell, _everyone_ does! But even _you_ cannot deny that James is a superb Quidditch player." Instead of responding Lily was silent and folded her arms. Dorcas waited for verbal communication but it did not come.

"You can't even admit that?" Marlene pondered, sounding amused. She was greeted with more silence.

"Lily!" Dorcas exclaimed, splashing her suddenly and getting her red bun wet.

"Hey!" Lily protested, coming to life.

"Give me something!"

"Okay, okay! Ugh!," She sighed dramatically then plowed on, "Potter… Potter is a… is a pretty good, Quidditch, player."

"I think you'd die if you actually had to say 'great', but nice start," grinned Dorcas.

"Was it so hard?" Marlene inquired happily.

"Yes, because I'd rather not spend my summer thinking about Potter. And it was about as hard for you to admit that you did like Black in fourth year!" Lily replied, smirking and starting to breast stroke. Marlene's cheerful demeanor was wiped away instantly as Dorcas let out a loud bout of laughter.

"I-I did n-not… that w-was!—" she stuttered.

"HA! I _told_ Mary you did! She owes me three Galleons!" Dorcas yelled, satisfied.

* * *

Severus Snape sat on his bed staring moodily at the wall in front of him, wand pointed down. His bedroom door was closed but he could still hear his father yelling at his mother downstairs, though he was not worried about their bickering in the least.

Severus was bored, to be frank. There was still more than a month to go before he could return to Hogwarts and the time seemed endless. He had not seen Lily for about a week now around their neighborhoods and deduced that she was either not leaving her house or not home at all; Severus suspected it was the second option. Lily was popular, had always been and had a close circle of Gryffindor girl friends, so she was bound to visit them during the holiday. At least she could enjoy herself… not have to be stuck in a nightmarish house with absolutely no refuge….

The sound of Eileen Snape shouting back reached her son's ears. He looked to his door, repulsed that this is what he was exposed to, then grasped under his bed for a book. It turned out to be a book of spells, jinxes, curses and their origins—one of his favorites. Severus opened where he had left off, intending to create another spell that day since there was nothing more for him to do.

As he heard his father let out a particularly nasty string of swear words, the Slytherin boy knew the spell would be dark.

* * *

A/N: So, as I look back on this chapter, I realize that wizards probably know what swimming pools are. Lol. Whatever! Next chapter next Saturday.


	4. OWLs

A/N: I don't have anything to point out until the next chapter, so here this one is. Enjoy!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 4**

"Boys! Come downstairs! You've got post! OWLs!" Vivienne shouted upstairs, standing at the foot of the steps. She then turned on her heel and made her way back into the first floor sitting room where two birds were perched on a couple of the room's chairs.

Mrs. Potter had been in the sitting room with her husband drinking tea when the taps had made themselves known on one of the windows. Harold let the Hogwarts' owls in as his wife went to go summon the wizards for whom the birds were meant. As Vivienne settled back into her seat next to Harold, steady barking could be heard coming closer and closer. Stranger zipped into the room merrily, stopping to sniff Harold's feet, and was followed shortly by two teenagers who appeared eager.

"At last! And we're not boys Mum, but thanks." James said, approaching the owl meant for him.

"No? So you're men then, are you?" Vivienne responded.

"Practically." Sirius smiled, taking his envelope. Mrs. Potter looked like she was going to open her mouth and argue but Harold hushed her with a tender squeeze of the hand. She turned to him; the look on his face implied that he agreed with them for the most part.

They ripped open the envelopes and removed the parchment inside as Stranger trotted up to them and sat expectedly, wagging his tail. There was brief silence as they studied their results and Harold and Vivienne studied them.

"So how proud did you make us?" Mr. Potter wondered after what he deemed a sufficient amount of time had passed. He was greeted by laughter, grins and a bark from the Crup.

"Passed them all!" James announced in a voice that suggested anything else would have been a sinful crime.

"Wonderful, loves!" Vivienne smiled. The two Gryffindors switched paper to peer at one another's: almost identical.

"What'd you get?" Harold asked.

"An 'O' in Astronomy, Care, Charms, Defense, Herbology, and Transfiguration. An 'E' in Divination and Potions. And then an 'A' in History but that subject's worthless—I only did just enough to make sure I would pa…" James explained, his voice trailing off when he realized what he was divulging and noticed the look on his mother's face.

"And you Sirius?" Mr. Potter prompted.

"The same, only I got an 'E' in Astronomy and an 'O' in Divination," he answered.

"Brilliant you two!" Harold told them bracingly.

"Yes, well done." Vivienne agreed.

"I think our success calls for a gift!" James proclaimed.

"James!"

"What? Nothing extravagant… just tickets to the next Falcons game!" (The Falmouth Falcons was his favorite Quidditch team).

"While we're on the subject of Qudditch…," Sirius said, examining the inside of James' envelope which had been on the floor, "Did you even notice your envelope had something else in it, mate?" He handed it over to its owner and there was indeed extra weight.

His heart leapt. Unless for some ludicrous reason the authority at Hogwarts had replaced James for Remus as Gryffindor prefect, he had a strong inclination what was in there. Nadine Berkeley had completed her seventh year in June!.... James threw the weight into his left palm only to be staring at it: the shiny, excellent Quidditch captain badge.

"Of course!," laughed Sirius, clapping his best friend on the back, "Way to go Prongs!" James felt an uncontrollable grin spread across his face.

"Oh, James, sweetheart!" Vivienne exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"That's my son!," Harold grinned proudly, "You know what? I think those Falcon tickets are _well_ in order!"

"Wicked!" James yelled.

Some 15 minutes later, the two were in James' room polishing their broomsticks. They had already discussed the fact that they would not be able to see the Falcons play until the upcoming Christmas holiday but that it was going to be marvelous anyway.

"Wonder what Remus and Wormtail got." James commented.

"I'm sure Moony is writing us as we speak, and Peter—ha! I'm telling you, if he didn't have us there to help his arse…" Sirius remarked, throwing out his broom and watching it hoover.

"D'you plan on taking NEWT Potions?"

"I don't know. I'm torn."

"Between what?" the Potter boy half smiled.

"Being able to avoid Snivellus for one less class and being able to torment him for one _more_ class," Sirius stated. James snickered, "You?"

"Yeah, I reckon I will—why not? Besides, I'm sure Lily will! She's good at Potions…"

"_Lily_ huh? We've switched to first names now?," Sirius questioned, eyebrows raised in interest, "Maybe your feelings for her are deeper than they appear!"

"I-I meant Evans—Evans! That slipped out!" James hurried to say. The use of surnames was a staple, and when birth names were used it usually signified a close relationship of some sort. The Black boy looked unconvinced but kept whatever thoughts he had to himself.

"Anyway, the next time we speak to the rest of the Marauders we can tell them they can come over again a week before we go back to Hogwarts." James said.

"During which time we will finalize our breakfast surprise plans!" Sirius remarked. His fellow Gryffindor smiled in return and then threw his own broom in the air, watching it gleam and hoover.

Lily sat on her sitting room sofa with the parchment in both of her hands, staring at it intently. She had gotten her OWL results less than three minutes previously and immediately ran into the current room to examine them alone. Lily knew she had not done horribly on the June exams—on the contrary, she felt she had done quite well—but there was always the feeling of anxiety. (She had returned from her visit to Dorcas' almost a week earlier).

Frowning slightly for letting her nerves get the better of her momentarily, the sixteen year old witch opened the parchment fully to view her grades. All passing marks!... a smile lit Lily's face. She had gotten 'E's in Care, Defense, Transfiguration, Herbology and History; she had gotten 'O's in Astronomy, Charms, Divination and Potions. Lily was very happy with her results and wanted to tell everyone now that she had seen them. _I wonder what Severus got_, she wondered as she stood up to go inform her parents. The delighted smile that was on Lily's face faltered for a minute—that had been the first time she had thought about him in awhile. Erasing the thought from her mind, the redhead went back into the kitchen and flourished the parchment in Janice's face.

"I've passed Mum, I've passed! All nine subjects!" she reported, sitting next to her mother.

"Oh, lovely! Well done Lily!," Mrs. Evans beamed, setting her saucer down, "You're proving yourself to be such a special witch!"

"Thanks Mum."

"I can't believe it's already been five years…" Janice stated, looking at her daughter fondly.

"Oh! Please don't start getting sentimental!" Lily earnestly pleaded, smiling weakly.

"All right… I suppose! But you'll find it's hard when you have children of your own!"

"Hmm," she replied, cutting her eyes good naturedly, "So we leave for New Zealand soon, right?"

"Yes, in about 10 days. Are you excited?" Janice said.

"Very," smiled Lily.

"You can ask your father for the specifics when he gets home in a bit."

"Petunia seems less than thrilled about it."

"Yes, well, she's never terribly thrilled about much when it involves spending forced time with her family, is she?" Janice remarked, eyebrows raised questioningly. Lily giggled then said reflectively:

"She wasn't always like that." Which made the Gryffindor girl think her sister did not enjoy spending time with _her_.

Mrs. Evans, sensing the change in her daughter's demeanor, squeezed one of her hands.

"But it'll be fun, dear. Something we all need," she commented.

"Yeah, I know," Lily half smiled, "I'm going up to my room to write my friends." (About OWLs in fact).

"All right."

And so the remaining weeks of the summer passed with those people with plans completing them and those without simply going through the motions. The Evans family had a pleasant vacation in New Zealand and they all came back somewhat more tan. The country had been beautiful and had helped to mend the sisterly bond between Lily and Petunia; with no one to constantly speak to besides their parents, they gravitated towards each other but still had their own uncomfortable moments. Lily did not encounter Severus again while at home and only glanced him outside once more. She felt this was good and was really aiding in removing him from her mind.

James and Sirius spent their days playing various wizard games, flying and eating while their other two friends were at their respective homes. They met up with Frank Longbottom once in London to visit and see how he was doing, and when they parted ways their fifth door mate told them he was off to see Alice. The two ordered a box of Filibuster Fireworks through a catalogue for their impending prank, to be safe, and waited for the rest of the Marauders to return to the Potter manor.

Snape stayed almost exclusively in his house although he despised it, and only went out in the evening when he did leave. Apart from receiving his OWL results in late July, nothing of significance happened for him. He read extensively, had created three novel spells (in actuality outlined since he could not use magic), and had thought of a way to exact revenge upon the Marauders. Severus was convinced that Remus Lupin was a werewolf and would prove it, exposing him for what he was to all of Hogwarts. And as for Black and _Potter_… oh, those two were doing something foul in connection to Lupin. The Slytherin teenager had recalled some of his conversations with Lily about the werewolf situation.

…

_Severus frowned heavily as he stared at the pages of his textbook, his brain frantic with thought. He sat at a small table with Lily in the library and they were working on a Charms essay for Professor Flitwick, or were supposed to be. The third year Slytherin had been flipping through the pages of his current book searching for something completely different when he stumbled upon the section he had just read: werewolves. The section had been enlightening and fueled the fire to a serious idea Severus had possessed for quite some time now but kept to himself._

"_Er… Lily?" he began, eyes still on the paper. When she had not answered after a reasonable amount of time, he tore his gaze away from the book and focused on her. (For an instant he felt like blushing because of the intensity of his look)._

_Lily, however, had her attention elsewhere and was not focused on their table. She was looking at a table at the very end of the row that had four boys sitting around it: third year Gryffindors. The group was goofing around, quietly laughing and snorting, and had a few books standing up to cover for their silent horseplay._

"_I don't know _why _they even come in here! They never work!" she angrily muttered, returning her attention to her own work and table. When Severus saw whom she was talking about, he glared and gritted his teeth. Potter's stupid gang…._

"_The twits are rather distracting," Lily sighed in an agitated manner, "How much have you gotten done?"_

"_Uh... I, erm…" he stumbled, taken aback by her sudden address of him. She looked at his parchment then him._

"_Not much then. What are you reading?"_

_Severus hesitated for a second before turning the book to face her._

"_Werewolves?," Lily asked, puzzled, "Sev, we're doing _Charms_."_

"_I know. I just…," Severus looked at the other table then cleared his throat, "I've been thinking."_

"_About?"_

"_That… Lupin kid."_

"_Remus? Why?" she wondered, appearing confused yet amused. The use of the boy's first name stung him with jealousy and bitterness that they belonged to different Houses. The Slytherin wanted her to despise _all_ of the Marauders, the way he did._

"_He's... odd." Severus stated._

"_Odd? Not really... Remus is actually kind. Quiet at times, but kind." Lily told him._

"_His behavior I mean," he corrected, a bit impatiently, "It's as though he's hiding something."_

"_Like what?" she questioned, resting her forearms on her essay and looking at him. Her inquiry sounded both curious and insolent._

"_Well, I-I think... I think he's... he's a werewolf!" The first part of his confession had come out shaky because Lily's mesmerizing eyes had been on him, but it had ended with confidence._

_She did not answer initially—only gaped. When Lily did speak again, her voice was hushed and full of disbelief._

"_A werewolf, Severus?"_

"_Yes," he quickly confirmed._

"_And you say this because?..."_

"_Because it all fits! He's gone, every month around the same time, like clockwork. Ever notice what phase the moon is in? This book says the person often looks ill after they transform; you've seen him in classes after his _visits_! He—"_

"_Okay. I've heard enough," she interrupted._

"_But Lily—"_

"_Really, I have. That's not a light accusation to make Sev, and I know you don't—"_

"_It's the truth," he bluntly said. There was a moment of hard silence._

"_Do you have proof?" she asked._

"_No. But I can get it someday! Lupin and his thick friends... a _werewolf_! Disgrace!" Severus had been leering at the other table while saying this and the last of it had come out very harshly. _

_Lily, meanwhile, had been looking at her friend and her countenance was definitely not a reflection of happiness._

"_This kind of came out of nowhere Severus, and to be frank it can stay there!," the witch remarked. He looked to her, sensing her emotional upset, "This new _theory_ of yours... I don't really want to hear it anymore. You sound as though you'd use it as a weapon against him! And even if Remus _did_ happen to be a werewolf on some far off, ironic planet, then why should you condemn him for it? He's still the same person." Lily went back to writing her essay and there was silence. Severus did not verbally respond but he appeared to be brooding now; his friend's speech had been full of good intentions but he was far from swayed._

_Eight minutes later, a mysterious Dungbomb found under Snape's chair went off, leaving an irate Pince to evacuate the entire library._

…

There had been another instance in their fourth year when Snape had secretly followed three of the Marauders after he noticed the full moon had been the previous night, Lupin was missing, and they had been overly distracted in Herbology. It turned out the three were going to the Hospital Wing but they never made it through the doors because Black had discovered their Slytherin shadow. A miniature duel then ensued, earning all of them detention and an adamant Lily asking Severus why he had gotten in trouble. When he revealed the situation had been induced by his werewolf theory, the redhead had stalked off to her common room.

Well, Lily would not be there with her attempts to deter Severus this time and he was absolutely committed to vengeance.

* * *

"I swear—it's a madhouse in there!" Alice Waite shouted to her friends, hurrying out of Madame Malkin's robe shop with her new bag at her side.

"Hence, our waiting outside!" Dorcas responded lightly, getting up from leaning against a wall.

"Yes, well, I really _did_ need new school robes. The others were a bit too tight…"

"Nothing like coming early in the summer and beating the rush! That's what I did."

"You got new robes?," Alice wondered, smirking, "What for? You haven't gotten any taller since second year!" Lily automatically started laughing at Alice's slight so that Dorcas, who did not find it as humorous, had to speak over her.

"Oh yes—ha ha ha! Nice, Alice. Target something that is completely out of my hands."

"You love it." Alice grinned. Lily had willed herself to stop laughing but sporadic smiles kept appearing on her face.

"I'm sorry if I'm petite." Dorcas sniffed, hiding her own smile. Alice shook her head of dirty blonde hair, still beaming, then suggested:

"Let's go then?"

"Marlene's still in there." Lily noted, nodding at the robe shop.

"Yes, and she will be for another five years! She had loads of kids before her and said she'd catch us up. I feel badly for Madame Malkin—she only has two assistants as well…" Alice explained. The girls then began walking towards the direction of a pet shop at the request of Dorcas.

The start of the new school year at Hogwarts would begin in two days and the Gryffindor girls were in Diagon Alley shopping for their customary supplies, along with what seemed to be most of the castle's student population. All four girls were currently staying at Alice's home and would go to Platform Nine and ¾ together to catch the Express; they had arrived the day prior to the Waite residence, bidding farewell to their families until the winter holidays arrived. (Lily's parents in particular had been a bit put out when they learned they would not be seeing her off for the very first time).

"Beatrice needs a new cage…" Dorcas muttered when they walked in. She scanned the store for a moment and then made her way to the right.

"Alice… do you think I could use a pet?" Lily wondered dreamily, looking into a tank of frogs.

"A pet?" her friend repeated quizzically.

"Yeah."

"Well, do you really need one? You've gone five years without."

"Oh, I know. But you three all have one, you know—Dorcas and Marlene with their birds and your Puffskein. And I've never had one, even as a child…" Lily said.

"So you'd get an owl?" Alice asked.

"No. I wouldn't have much use for it since my family is Muggle and all the wizards I know are other students. Maybe… a cat? I _do_ like them!"

"Oooh—a cat would be nice!"

"Yes… I'll think about it as we finish getting our things and come back before we leave, if I decide to."

"Should we get our books next?" Dorcas questioned, walking up to them with the new cage at her side.

"Marlene hasn't gotten them yet—perhaps we should wait instead? Last stop?," Alice remarked, "Is there anywhere you two need to go?"

"Apothecary. I want, and rather need, a new cauldron. My last one was used so it's pretty worn out." Lily claimed.

"The Quidditch shop! I lost one of my gloves and Mum's summoning charm didn't even turn it up." Dorcas added.

"All right. And I… well, I promised Frank I'd meet up with him at some point so!..." Alice hurriedly told them, smiling bashfully.

"Cauldron first then," the Meadowes witch grinned, rolling her eyes and going to pay for the cage.

Marlene rejoined her friends after they had visited both the apothecary and Quality Quidditch Supplies, and appeared slightly frazzled. The girls had run into Frank while in the crowded, lively Quidditch shop and Alice had been positively bubbly herself.

"I _was_ with Peter but I lost him," he reported, holding his girlfriend's hand, "He needed to get parchment so I went with him, but when we got here looking for Sirius, James and Remus who _we_ lost, I lost _him_."

"It's all right—you can stay with us!" Alice sweetly noted.

"Brilliant! James is here? I've been wanting to talk to him about the team!" Dorcas smiled.

Lily, who could feel her stomach plummeting, thought it was far from brilliant and was looking at Dorcas incredulously. Potter just _had_ to be here today, didn't he? She had rather forgotten about him and it had been welcomed… no headaches or feelings of anger….

The now five Gryffindor students made a quick stop by the shop Frank had just come from so Marlene could buy new quills after Dorcas got her gloves and then they walked over to Flourish and Blott's. The bookstore appeared even more packed with wizards than Quality Quidditch Supplies and the group had to brace itself for the rush before going inside. Once over the threshold Alice and Frank disappeared into the sea of people, leaving the other three to each other.

"They were waiting for the first chance to get away and snog!" Dorcas announced.

"In a crowded bookstore? Brave." Lily half smiled.

"All right. So, erm…," Marlene started, taking out her booklist, "Charms and Transfiguration and Defense Against—"

"Let's start with the first two." Dorcas cut in abruptly, leading the way.

"It's a shame Mary couldn't stay with us these last few days," the Evans girl pointed out.

"Yeah. Her dad's pretty strict huh?"

"She has to ask for things way in advance," sighed Lily.

"At least she's free at Hogwarts." Marlene chimed in, rapidly stepping aside to avoid hitting a second year.

"True. And—OY! Watch it!" Dorcas cried out, almost being knocked in the head by a seventh year boy. He looked at her and her companions and scoffed, leering.

"Like I listen to Gryffindor filth!" he retorted, crooked teeth showing. Dorcas' face flushed with anger and she made to remove her wand but Marlene halted this action.

"Piss off you arse!" Lily commanded boldly, moving away from him with her friends following. He waved them off impatiently.

"What were you expecting to do, Dorcas? You're not 17!" Marlene said when they arrived at the Charms section.

"That dolt didn't know it! I was just going to threaten him," she responded, snatching a book up.

"That's for fourth year." Lily stated quietly, smiling somewhat.

"Oh…. Well, I don't even know why he's in here! From the looks of it I doubt he can even read!" Dorcas noted, accepting the correct book from Marlene. The other two witches laughed.

"He's a Slytherin isn't he? I forgot his name…" Marlene commented.

They moved onto Transfiguration, Defense and when they were in the Astronomy section Lily asked:

"Should I get a cat?"

"Where'd that come from?" chuckled Dorcas.

"I was thinking about getting a pet…"

"I love cats! You should," remarked Marlene, giving Lily a textbook. (Dorcas was not continuing with the subject).

"They're okay. Wish we were allowed dogs—_that'd _be great!" said Dorcas, absent mindedly watching a nearby fifth year and his mother, "So after this, Leaky Cauldron? I'm hungry."

"The food there is not exactly…. Couldn't we just go into London?" the McKinnon girl answered, making a face.

"With all of our things? They bags are bright and the packages are oddly shaped—we'd stick out! Besides, it's right there!... and I've got no Muggle money," explained Dorcas. Marlene turned to Lily hopefully but at that moment they heard and saw Alice hailing them from their right.

"There she i…" Lily began, but did not complete. Both Frank and Alice were grinning, and Lily's voice had died at the sight of who they were with: all four of the Marauders.

"Look who we found!" Frank brightly said.

"Cheers!" Dorcas grinned, walking over to the group along with Marlene, who was also smiling happily. Lily closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the urge to grimace, and was forced to follow her friends, though at a much slower pace. If she just did not speak, it _should_ be all right….

The first thing James noticed about Lily was that her skin was a bit tanned and that it looked great on her. He wondered if she had gone anywhere during the summer and if she would actually answer if he asked. His heart did the usual flip flop upon seeing her and he could feel the uncontrollable grin spreading across his face; she had this overwhelming power over him! The second thing noticed about Lily was that she was wearing Muggle clothes, but she looked so natural, comfortable and pretty in them. The yellow top and jean skirt were _extremely_ distracting to James…

Consequently, the first thing Lily noticed about Potter was that he had gotten taller—considerably taller. Yes, he had always had an advantage in height over her (though in years one through three it had been insignificant), but it seemed his body had chosen that summer to elongate extensively. Burying an unfamiliar emotion associated with the first observation, the second thing Lily noticed about James was that he was wearing Muggle clothes. It was somewhat odd to see Potter without Quidditch or school robes on, especially since he seemed to represent the image of a true blooded wizard, but… he looked rather… _decent_.

"They ditched me and Peter for Flourish and Blott's!" Frank announced, smiling as the two groups met.

"We did not ditch," Sirius clarified, "We were, sadly, separated!" He then gave the girls a charming smile and said:

"Dorcas. Ms. McKinnon. Evans."

"How is it you've been here along with us and we're seeing you just now?" Marlene inquired, grinning in a flirty manner (in Lily's opinion).

"Because we were in the Quidditch shop most of the time, courtesy of certain individuals." Remus stated, smiling and nodding at Lily. She returned the favor, smiling as well.

"Lies," hissed Sirius. Marlene and Alice laughed.

"And you had nothing to do with that, did you Potter?" Dorcas grinned slyly.

"Absolutely not!" James replied, shutting his eyes and throwing his head back dramatically. He then opened them and, grinning mischievously, remarked:

"Well, maybe a little! Good to see you Dorcas. Evans." His hand had flown to his hair while saying this and Lily, who was frowning, refused to reply because of that one move. She would chop off his hand if she could!

"You as well, captain! You did get it right?" Dorcas commented.

"Something like that." James half smiled, displaying true humility.

"Ha ha! Great!"

"Oh, congratulations James!" Alice told them.

"That's wonderful," added Marlene.

"Thanks," he said.

"Just bring the Cup to Gryffindor!" Frank requested.

"Please." Lily muttered to herself. James, however, caught it and looked at her (momentarily) hopefully.

"Well, are you lot done here? Because we were planning to eat afterward, and you're more than welcome to join us!" Marlene offered, looking to Remus and Peter. Lily felt her jaw actually fall as she gaped at her friend—why would she invite them?! Marlene _knew_ how Lily felt about the Marauders!

"Sounds like a nine person date!" Sirius proclaimed.

"Where?" Peter wondered.

"Just the Leaky Cauldron." Dorcas responded, shrugging.

"All right." Remus agreed.

"Let's finish up here and meet there at… half past noon." Frank suggested. Dorcas, who seemed to know exactly what Lily was thinking currently, was murmuring to the red head:

"It'll be fine! But be nice, Lily, _please_. I know you don't… well, Sirius and James have been tame so far!"

"Having to _willingly_ eat lunch with them, ugh! I'll strangle Marlene if _one _thing—"

"Lily," the petite witch cut her off, "It. Will. Be. Okay." They stared at one another fiercely before they recognized their peers around them were moving.

"Twelve thirty then," James said cheerfully, looking at the two girls, "I'll save you a seat Evans!"

"Yeah, on his lap!" Sirius claimed loudly, laughing.

As James whirled around toward his best friend, shocked, Lily's eyes became alive with outraged anger. She shoved her book carrier into Dorcas' arms and stormed for the door.

"Lily! What—where are you going?! You still need books!" the Meadowes girl shouted after her.

"_You_ get them! I'm getting a cat! And if Potter says _anything_ to me, I'm going to throw it on him so it can maul his face!" Lily yelled back.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter next Saturday :)


	5. Sixth Year Beginnings

A/N: So, I think I may slow down my posting once a week, but just for a little bit so I have time to type up more chapters. I like to be ahead 3 chapters of the one I'm posting if I can help it. But I may not be able to resist, ha ha. Anyway, thanks to my readers!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 5**

"So I said hello to her, smiled and everything, and she gave me this _look_ and told me not to waste my breath!" James said disbelievingly, stowing his trunk away over head and with his back to his roommate.

"So?" Peter pondered, his back to James as well.

"So it hurt! Well, n-not hurt… a lot," the teenager with glasses reported, turning around, "I was just being nice, you know? Sincere."

"Maybe she's still cross about lunch at the Cauldron." They both sat down opposite one another on the padded seats.

"It was two days ago! And _I_ did nothing wrong…"

The two wizards were currently sitting on the immobile Hogwarts Express along with the rest of the school's pupils, waiting for it to depart to the castle where they would being their sixth year. The lunch date between the Gryffindor girls and boys in Diagon Alley a couple days earlier had been a rowdy, interesting affair. Lily had indeed come back with a one year old female cat (white and brown) and a threatening look upon her face. She sat in between Dorcas and Alice initially and resolutely refused to acknowledge James' presence; this was not a problem for him since he could sense her displeasure and did not want to press his luck. After the initial stiffness, the familiarity sank in and the smiles and laughter soon followed. The only males Lily really conversed with were Frank and Remus, but she did not miss the glances thrown her way from a certain someone while he was speaking loudly, nor did she miss the damn hair ruffling. Towards the end Sirius and James had gotten very comfortable and were reveling in the received attention, even from some other pub patrons, but she felt they were being unnecessarily boisterous. During a lively re-enactment of a past encounter with Filch, in which James was standing, Sirius was taking up half the table space and the others were laughing, there was complicated movement involving body parts and Lily found herself covered with pumpkin juice halfway through. The humor ceased instantly as they all froze and watched Lily sit with her arms outstretched, eyes shut purposefully and cat meowing. Needless to say, she was done with the gathering.

"For her it must seem like every time she's around you, something goes wrong." Peter pointed out.

"Not intentionally! And not always. I never _try_ for things to take a wrong turn, or for me to come off as an arse—why would I? But it's… I don't know what goes wrong," James confessed, sounding a bit frustrated, "I'm trying to show Evans I'm not what she thinks I am." At that moment two other wizards walked into their open doored compartment, hauling trunks with them.

"Which is what? Selfish? Superficial? A bastard?" Sirius remarked moving to put his things over head.

"All of the above Padfoot, _thanks_," came the dry response, "Did you hear all of it?"

"No. Just the last bit about Evans. That's deep stuff mate."

"At least he's trying to make a change… I think. It'll be good to show Lily a different side to you," Remus stated, "And your parents are still out there."

"Doing what? We said our goodbyes." James answered. The other two Marauders then sat down.

"Just talking to Edmund Cabbot's mum and dad," informed Sirius, "But listen Jamesy, really—you've been after Evans for three years now right? That's a considerable amount of time, especially knowing it's been in vain up to this point. And while yes, she _is_ exceptionally good looking, maybe you should consider moving on if nothing progresses this term. There are loads of cute witches at school and you, James Potter, can have your pick of the lot!"

"Way to be sensitive Sirius." Remus grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"It's not like he hasn't done it before! He went out with Emma Seigal for most of fourth year and he went round with Amy Dunesfield 'til February this year!"

"Maybe he truly fancies Lily and it's not so simple that you can just tell him to move on overnight!"

"I'm not, but there's no logic in him keeping it up if she's not going to budge! It hasn't been worth it so far!" Sirius asserted.

"Well, least I let you two continue on as though I'm not here, I'd better speak up!," James interjected, shutting his friends up, "I understand you both. Moony is right, Sirius—getting past her isn't that simple I think, though sometimes I wish…. But I know I _can't_ keep trying forever. We only do have two years left and she hasn't liked me yet…"

"Have you truly _tried _yet?," Remus asked, looking at him, "Playing games, showing off for her—those don't count." This silenced the Potter boy, catching him off guard and bringing his thinking to a halt. How did Remus manage to eerily hit the nail on the head? James had been thinking along those exact lines regarding Lily much of the summer.

"I suppose I haven't really," he said plainly, "Maybe that's the problem. Maybe my feelings for her have evolved since third year." Sirius sighed loudly, vexed, then butt in:

"And maybe we sound too old for our age! Feelings and what not—we're _16_! Girls shouldn't be that difficult! It's all about having fun anyway."

"I'd expect that from someone who's never _truly_ fancied anyone before," smirked Remus. Peter laughed.

"Well we all know who _you've_ cared about, Lupin," the Black boy replied, smirking in return but darkly, "And don't be so sure about me." Remus blushed somewhat but looked defiant still; Peter glanced apprehensively at James.

"All right then, enough of that! New topic." James announced, wanting to diffuse the situation. A loud whistle then sounded and the train began to vibrate—the Express would be leaving in moments.

Marlene huffed as she finished storing her luggage up above and then sat down quickly so Dorcas could go next, swaying with the train's motion.

"And you'll have to tell me all about New Zealand, Lily! Oh, and what you lot did at Alice's before now." Mary Macdonald said, having just put her things away on the other side of the compartment.

"We missed you Mary." Alice told her, watching her Puffskein Sasha roll around the seat.

"I know, I wanted to be there! Overbearing father…"

"You missed a smashing lunch with the Gryffindor boys!" Dorcas noted, having finished and taking a seat.

"Oh yes—amazing." Lily sarcastically added, the last to get her belongings over head.

"The juice was an accident Lily, and with all that was going on it could've been anyone!" Marlene reasoned. The red head looked at her, eyes sharp.

"It wasn't just that. They were being their typical, obnoxious selves!" she contested.

"Eh, you're determined to hate them!" Dorcas nonchalantly said, settling in. A tiny pang then hit Lily, causing her to stop and stare at her friend. That had been a bit uncalled for…

"I do not _hate_ them Dorcas," she said.

"Just James then. That's why you blew 'im off when he greeted you earlier."

"N-No! Okay, so I didn't… but I was still—" A loud meowing then came floating into the compartment, catching their ears.

"What is that?," Mary wondered, "A cat?"

"Autumn!" Lily exclaimed, rushing out. Her new pet was a little down the corridor to the right, in her bag and sounding upset. Lily retrieved her, apologizing sweetly and feeling guilty—the cat was so new she forgot she owned her for brief stints of time.

As the witch turned to go back to her chamber, she came face to face with a wizard, for they nearly collided. She was on the verge of opening her mouth to apologize when she recognized who the boy was. He was looking at her, mouth open a bit, and appeared as taken aback as she was. He ended the staring by nodding, curtly and cautiously.

"Severus." Lily remarked.

"I was… going to my compartment. Forgive me," he told her in a low voice. He glanced at her cat, noticing it.

"No worries. It was a near miss," she coolly said. Lily then proceeded for her own compartment without another glance at her former friend, and though he desperately wanted to know how her summer had been, Snape knew better than to ask from the look she had given him.

"I forget I have a pet occasionally!" Lily claimed once back, letting Autumn out of her bag.

"Kind of like I forget Marlene's little brother." Dorcas offered, referring to Mitchell, the third year McKinnon boy. His sister threw the magazine she was reading at Dorcas, who swiped it away from herself laughing. Alice and Lily giggled.

"What's _he_ doing in here?" Snape snapped as he walked into the sixth year Slytherin boys' compartment.

Regulus Black, a fourth year who so happened to greatly resemble his older, distant brother (though with paler skin), was sitting next to Evan Rosier and wore a disgruntled expression.

"Relax Severus! Regulus just wanted to talk." Rosier answered, in his annoying, silky voice. His prefect's badge shined on his chest.

"To us?" he skeptically pondered.

"Of course! Older, wiser Slytherins…"

"He had things he needed to get off his chest. Questions about the Dark Lord, issues regarding his foul brother…" Derrick Avery revealed. Snape sat down, having put his luggage away, and peered intently at the younger boy, sourly. He felt Regulus was rather weak minded, but he _was_ at least far from his egregious, older brother.

"Not that it's any of _his_ business." Regulus insipidly commented, scowling at the half blood. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, Severus can be trusted Regulus! And he sees your _brother _for what he really is as well!" Rosier explained.

"Everyone knows he's a traitor, no big deal there…"

"Ah, but Snape's dislike of him runs _much_ deeper than that!" Avery remarked, smiling forebodingly and looking at the wizard of whom he spoke.

"A terrible stain on the name of Black." Regulus mumbled, glancing at Severus once. This time there was no malice to be detected.

A few hours had come and gone since the Express had left the station at King's Cross. The food trolley was making its second round through the train and it stayed perched by the Marauders' compartment for quite a bit.

"Er… and… three Cauldron Cakes, pack of Ice Mice, four Chocolate Frogs and a bag of Bertie Bott's." Sirius ordered, standing up near the cart.

"And another Strawberry Pasty!" Peter chipped in as the witch retrieved the items.

"That should be enough for Moony right?" wondered Sirius, looking at his best friend.

"Right." James confirmed, finishing off his sixth Frog. Remus was out on prefect rounds and the snacks the three remaining boys had gotten were so plentiful that they took up their own seat.

"Is that it dear?" the witch asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." He handed her the money, grabbed the sweets in his arms and she rolled off, shutting their door.

"Hope Frank wasn't expecting much… or anything." Sirius noted, adding Remus' food to the pile.

"Eh, he's been in and out. He knows the rule—no partaking of the food unless thou has contributed to the merriment!" Peter cited.

"So, haven't seen Snivellus. Not even getting on the train. Think he's afraid of us?" the Black boy postulated, leering and opening a treat. James looked up at him, then to Peter.

"I think I'm going to apologize to Evans," he stated.

"For _what_?" Peter inquired, some food falling out of his mouth after a quick period of silence.

"What happened near the lake, after exams."

"You didn't do anything to _her_!" Sirius proclaimed, brows drawn.

"I know. Well, I—_we_—kind of did. They were still… _you know_, then. Still… friends." James commented as though he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"Why? It happened in June—three months ago! It's over now."

"Yeah but I just feel like I should… like it's the right thing to do."

Sirius gazed at James for a moment, motionless with his brows still furrowed and his mouth slightly agape, and then shook his head, leaning back.

"Have fun. Marauders' speed," he said.

When Remus returned to the boys' chamber alongside Frank, James hopped up and left the small room, knowing Lily would be alone as she walked back to her own compartment. (Peter explained to the other two what exactly James was doing). He hurried down the halls, checking in open rooms just in case she had already made it back, and soon saw her some feet ahead of him. She was reaching for a door handle when he shouted out:

"Oy, Evans!"

Lily looked to her left and saw _him_, making his way towards her determinedly. She made a small, frustrated groan and swiftly thought about marching into her compartment and closing the door in his face; consequently, something foreign scolded her not to be so rude, even to Potter, for she did not want to justify Dorcas' earlier statement.

"Erm… hey." James blandly greeted as he arrived and stood next to her (but not too close).

"Uh, h-hello." Lily awkwardly answered. For some reason she felt her response did not seem to match his properly.

There was silence. James, who had already begun to numbly reflect on how much prettier she was up close, was torn in between staring at her like an idiot and focusing on a spot to the right of her. Lily, who was also having difficulty looking at him, noticed for the first time that she was experiencing an emotion other than anger, irritation or resentment while being in his presence: discomfort. She had never been uncomfortable around Potter before in all her years of knowing him, probably because his childish behavior had left no room for anything but sheer aggravation.

"So, I, erm… I sought you out for a reason," he told her finally.

"Which is?" prompted Lily, weary for a second that he would ask her out as a common habit.

"I… I wanted to, er, apologize," James said, clearing his throat, "A-About OWLs last term, about what Sirius and I did to… about how we treated Snape."

Lily felt like someone had hit her over the head with a brick. Was _James_ Potter expressing a desire to apologize, and in regards to Severus _Snape_?!

"W-What?" she stumbled, gazing up at him.

"The lake thing. Look Evans—I was wrong. I-I stepped out of line. It was… unnecessary. Mean even; he didn't do anything to us. For that, I'm sorry. We were pretty stupid for it…" he poured out, looking at her the entire time (and loving it).

"Uh, well… wow. Okay." Lily remarked, taking it in. He had truly repented, and he seemed to be honestly genuine about it!

"That… I appreciate that, Potter. Your apology. Really," she mentioned, smiling for a fraction of a second, "I mean, the two of us have… fallen off, but thank you anyway." He grinned widely, adorably lopsided, at her brief smile but it subsided a bit.

"He had no business calling you that though…" James pointed out. His voice was low and notably somber, but it held a trace of… something that had not yet been in his tone so far. What was it? Lily, not wanting to discover what it really was by more thought, merely nodded, catching his eye only once.

"All right! So… I suppose I should get back to my mates now!" James announced loudly, clearing his throat again.

"Yes, I suppose so… too," she lamely replied.

"Uh… all right then!" He turned around and prepared to walk away, mentally kicking himself for sounding like an idiot, when Lily blurted out:

"Erm, Potter?" He looked back at her expectedly, hoping she would suddenly pour forth her true feelings, the ones he imagined—that she had desperately fancied him since fourth year and would like nothing more than to snog him in an empty compartment.

"See you." Lily offered, appearing somewhat unsure of her farewell.

"See you." James smiled encouragingly. Winking, he headed back to his respective room. A 'see you' from Lily Evans was a definite close second!

_Well, there's a first time for everything!, _Lily thought, _he actually didn't ask me out or show off! _She had also that he had kept a respectable, physical distance between them—in the past, personal space had meant nothing to James Potter. Just the previous April he had cornered Lily in her seat in the common room, arms on either side of her, his face dangerously close to her eyes and a mischievous smile on his lips! (She had been horrified to realize that she noticed the toerag smelled quite good). The interaction had ended with James rolling around on the floor with four tree branches shooting out of his head and most of the Gryffindors roaring.

"Something must have happened to Potter over the summer, because his twit factor has just been reduced some!" Lily informed as she entered her compartment.

When James got back to his friends he literally danced backwards into the room; once fully inside, he ended his number with his arms thrown out and head thrown back. Sirius looked appalled and entertained both at the same time as Peter and Remus applauded and laughed heartily.

"I take it things went well," grinned Frank.

"Yes!," James said, elated, bringing his arms in, "It's official—Evans loves me! She basically wants to have my children!" He took a seat next to Sirius.

"Wow Prongs. That's a lot of progress in the course of two days! At lunch it looked as though she wanted to hex you so that you could never _have _children." Peter noted.

"She actually listened, to _me_, without yelling!"

"It's called 'sincerity', and you should use it more around her," quipped Remus.

"I mean, she said an actual, proper goodbye! Most of the time she rolls her eyes or storms off—"

"Or curses you!" Sirius merrily added.

"That too!," James then sighed before continuing, "If I can get her to treat me that way all the time…."

The door to their compartment was then pulled open a bit and a student threw his head in to get a glance of the occupants. He would have withdrawn straight away upon seeing the people present were not for whom he was searching, but he knew them incidentally and so lingered unconsciously. The five Gryffindors returned the gaze and when the intruder came out of his brief reverie, he formed a hard scowl on his countenance.

"What are you doing?" Sirius gruffly demanded, his face bearing the same, exact unpleasant scowl.

"Looking for the compartment with _my _friends," his younger brother answered in a scathing tone. Peter glanced at Sirius and then looked to Frank, who appeared uncomfortable.

"Then where've you been?" Sirius ordered to know. James stole a glance from Remus—this interaction would not bode well for either Black son.

Regulus laughed shortly then said:

"Like I'd really tell you! _Don't_ try to check in on me—I can take care of myself, thanks." He made as if to leave but before he departed he voiced one last thought:

"When you didn't return home for the summer, as the last small part of Mum hoped you would, she lost it. Dad had to help her come to terms with it and they blasted you off the Tree. You _shame _us." Regulus threw James a despicable glare before going, as though alerting him he was a large part of the problem.

Sirius sat completely still right after his brother had gone, but his face was displaying all possible negative emotions at a frightening speed. The Marauders knew that Sirius was typically a happy person but that when he experienced dark moments he truly experienced them; they almost consumed him at times and his family had the tendency to take him there.

"Padfoot, mate—" Remus began in a trepid voice, not wanting to upset him more. But he did not get to finish his sentence because Sirius had taken that very instance to explode violently, jumping up.

"What the _hell _does that little pisser think he's playing at?! Coming round, acting so _superior_, as though he knows everything! Trying to be mysterious! '_Don't try to check in on me!_' That snotty wanker wouldn't be able to get into any real trouble if it kicked him in the bloody arse! And if by Merlin he actually _did_, he'd be crying to get out in less than 15 seconds or end up dead! Sodding idiot! Trying to puff himself up with imaginary importance! 'I can handle my own affairs!' Alluding to nothing!... Like I give a _damn _about him!"

The other boys all looked at one another and knew they were thinking the same thing: Sirius _did_ still care about Regulus, even if it was grudgingly, and this fact must have angered him even more.

"Who's he going round with now, then? What a liar!... Talk about blasting me off the _precious_ Tree—ha! I'm glad! It can be my finest achievement to date! I have no ties left with those monsters!" He let out bitter laughter and then sat down once more, leaning into his seat with folded arms.

The other four were now left speechless and did not want to disturb Sirius' emotions even more by attempting to speak to him about it, and so they sat in silence for a bit. Not even James could think of anything sufficient to say.

Sirius remained in a funk for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts. He appeared to have a lasting grimace on and hardly spoke to anyone, but Frank, Peter, James and Remus had returned to the prior, content atmosphere. Dorcas and Alice visited their compartment for awhile and James mentally noted Lily had not joined them, which put a slight damper in his spirits. When Dorcas asked Remus under her breath what Sirius' problem was he replied with one short phrase: his brother. She then mumbled that it had been a good thing for Marlene to stay behind if he was sulking, at which James and Remus raised questioning eyebrows.

When the Express pulled into the Hogsmeade station, the girls had already returned to their compartment and everyone had their school robes on. Frank was the first one to retrieve his belongings and one of the earliest people off the train; he left his things near the closest doors and then went back inside to help his girlfriend.

"I'm starving. Can't wait for the feast." Peter said.

"Starving? You three ate Hagrid's weight in snacks from the trolley!" Remus pointed out, grabbing his trunk.

"Doesn't count—it wasn't real food. You know, meat. Bread. Potatoes." James defended, nearly crushing Peter's foot with his trunk.

"I forget all of the intricate details to the science of food!" the Lupin boy lazily remarked.

"After years with us, it's baffling as to why." Sirius stated. This was the first thing he had uttered since the girls had been with them and his friends knew he was back to himself.

They did not dawdle because they wanted to get outside and get to a carriage before lines and congestion began to form.

"Is that Frank's stuff?" Peter inquired as he stepped off the train, nodding to the right.

"Yeah. Let's watch it 'til he's done helping Alice, eh?" James suggested, getting off next.

The very next moment, Frank's trunk and school bag exploded open, sending the contents inside of them flying over the platform to various spots.

"What the hell?!" Sirius demanded, quickly setting his luggage down and looking about. All of the students already off the train stared.

Triumphant laughter was heard and then three wizards emerged from the door ahead of them on the other car. Evan Rosier was the one who had laughed and Walton Mulciber, who had his wand pointed at Frank's overturned trunk, was smirking; Avery wore a cruel grin.

"Tell Longbottom he should be careful as to where he leaves his things. Accidents could happen!" Rosier told them. On instinct James and Sirius withdrew their wands, their faces angered.

"We were waiting for the filth to come out of hiding!" Sirius spat as Avery removed his wand too. Peter looked anxious and was rooted on the spot.

"A duel already? We haven't even gotten to the castle yet!" Rosier commented, feigning concern.

"And if all goes well you lot won't make it there!" growled James, his wand sparking. Mulciber looked menacingly at him.

"I should punish you for threatening a prefect Potter!" the blond boy snapped. More students had gotten off and were watching the spectacle now.

"The same prefect who initiated the damage of a student's property?" Remus questioned, glaring at his fellow prefect (Rosier).

"Oh, little Lupin is speaking up is he? Found a backbone?" Avery asked.

"You're one to talk!" snorted Sirius.

"Everyone just drop their wands!" Remus commanded.

"Or what?," a fourth voice challenged. They then saw Snape step off the train next to his peers with his wand raised, "Not one for giving orders much, _Lupin_."

He was sneering but when he saw Sirius and James it transformed into a vicious snarl. They in turn got visibly angrier as well and the mutual hate between the three seemed to be tangible.

"Thanks for joining us, Snivellus!" Sirius spitefully noted.

"Though, it was refreshing without your odor floating around!" James added.

"Still throwing around childish insults. Why don't you try a curse instead?" Snape hissed, eyes livid and focused on James.

"My pleasure!" Sirius answered. He lifted his wand as if about to strike, which caused Avery and Mulciber to follow suit, but Remus ran in the middle.

"STOP!," he shouted, "Are you all completely _stupid_?! Do you want to be expelled! And way to be a prefect, Rosier!" The blond puffed up indignantly and began to say:

"Don't you—" But he was cut off by the arrival of Hagrid and the professor of Muggle Studies, William Strep.

The five, sixth year Gryffindor girls had also made it off the Express at that moment alongside Frank, only to see the frozen standoff. They had heard the commotion but had not been able to get past everyone else. Frank's eyes widened.

"My stuff!" he exclaimed.

"All right! Enough! What is going on here?!" Strep yelled sternly to the group of boys.

"They tried to attack us!" Rosier said.

"Liars!" shouted James.

"_They _attacked our mate's things!" Sirius interjected.

"Prove it!" Mulciber commanded.

"There are witnesses idiot!" James yelled.

"Eh, QUIET YOU LOT!" Hagrid boomed, shutting them all up.

"Whatever was about to happen is _not _acceptable—it was clear you were going to duel! Mr. Lupin, from what I saw you were trying to prevent it. Good. Mr. Rosier, remember you have that badge for a reason!," Strep explained, frowning. The boy glared at him in return, "Now get to the carriages before you _all _get detention!" The professor then waved his wand widely and all of Frank's possessions flew back into his trunk or bag.

"Be good you all," Hagrid told the Marauders, nodding. He then turned around, "FIRS' YEARS—FIRS' YEARS OVER HERE WIT ME!"

As their Slytherin counterparts muttered amongst themselves and melted into the growing sea of students, they threw intense looks of loathing at the Gryffindors.

"Well. Lovely way to start off the new term, wouldn't you say?" Sirius said, stowing his wand away as the girls and Frank hurried over to them. Remus looked at him, annoyed.

"That was a new record!," Dorcas proclaimed, "Hardly off the train and a quarrel with the Slytherins!"

"Nothing happened." James shortly responded.

"No, but you were more than willing to do the opposite!" Remus noted.

"What'd you want us to do? They had _their_ wands out first, and they intentionally targeted Frank's stuff!" argued Sirius.

"Thanks mates," the Longbottom boy remarked, examining his items with Alice.

"It's not like they started a fight for the fun of it," Marlene interjected, "Their actions were good hearted."

"Thank you Marlene!" James said turning to her. She, conversely, was standing next to Lily whose expression he caught a glimpse of; it was indiscernible but definitely not overjoyed, and so he quickly turned back around. His apology must seem absolutely worthless to her now!...

"Remus, as a Gryffindor yourself, you know full well they hate us! So don't try to fault us for every altercation—we have to defend ourselves sometimes." Sirius lectured.

"I know," the other wizard sighed, "It's just… the constant battles… guess I should be used to it by now."

"Come on—let's grab a carriage." James murmured, leading his three friends away from their Housemates and Lily's piercing gaze. He feared she now thought he was, among all other things, a hypocrite.

* * *

A/N: Chapter six next week?... Perhaps... :)


	6. The Welcoming Prank

A/N: Sorry it's a day late-- I forgot to post yesterday! I thank my readers, again; you guys are why I'm writing this!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 6**

It was a magnificent feeling being in the Great Hall once more for another Welcoming Feast, having Sorted the new first years and working on consuming desserts since dinner had already finished. Lily sat next to Mary and across from Marlene and Dorcas, and was nearly done eating her lemon tart, laughing from something Mary had said. The familiar smells of the dining hall and happy buzzing from her fellow students was causing the red head to slip into blissful comfort; she was at peace back in the welcoming walls of Hogwarts and silently reveled in it. Lily felt like she truly belonged in the wizarding world when she was at school.

"Wonder what they're planning." Dorcas remarked in a low voice, looking to her right.

"Who?" Mary inquired.

"Who else?" She nudged her head in the direction and they all peered to see the Marauders some ways down.

"For what?" Marlene wondered.

"Their usual beginning of the year prank, hello!" Dorcas answered.

"Oh yes!"

"It hasn't gotten old for them yet? _They _haven't gotten old for it?" Mary asked.

"It's tradition," the Meadowes girl shrugged, eating peach pie.

"Remus may want to think about not letting them go through with it—it could hurt his Head Boy chances!" Marlene said, sounding concerned.

"No—the professors and Filch can't trace it back to them ever. Everyone just knows."

Lily remained quiet about the subject and said nothing, for she did not trust herself to, but rarely any time passed before the Headmaster rose to give his speech. The room quieted respectfully at Albus Dumbledore's presence and he told them about the usual school issues: curfews, Quidditch, banned magic and items, and Filch's regulations. He did, however, also speak of the growing dangers of the times, of the fear and terror meant to tear at the society's foundations, and the courage needed to combat it. With heavy hearts that seemed too cruel and too soon for wizards their ages to have, they knew the person of whom their Headmaster spoke. Consequently, Dumbledore ended the speech on a lighter note.

"To the student or students from which tomorrow's probable prank will come, I was told to feel obligated to advise you to, ah, _abandon _the ruse," he announced, blue eyes twinkling and resting a split second longer on the Marauders than anyone else, "And now, to the great adventures of your beds! Sleep well!"

There was noise of loud chatter once more and benches scraping away from tables as the pupils began to depart.

"Dumbledore is the ruse!"Sirius grinned, grabbing a handful of cookies before they disappeared.

"We've got to finish everything tonight." Peter commented.

"Tonight? No no—tomorrow _morning_, Worm! It's an early start."

"We'll see you upstairs Moony!" James said as he, Peter and Sirius rushed to leave the Great Hall and make it to their dormitory.

"Yeah," he stated, going to meet Lily to escort the youngest years to the common room.

"It's like they shrink every year, I swear!" Sirius noted, seeing easily over the heads of younger students and even pushing some of these heads out of his way.

"Hey!" a third year protested.

"Mental, isn't it? Being 11, and that small, just seems like it was ages ago…" James concurred. He thought of what they had been like upon first entering the school: overconfident, overzealous and young, and how they had all seemed to click perfectly, without knowing how deep their connection would truly become.

…

_Sirius Black and James Potter, two of the new Gryffindor first years, were very outspoken at the Welcoming Feast. They chatted up all of their fellow first years and even a handful of second and third years, and they could not help to notice a few oddities. Lily Evans, the red headed girl who was in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express, ignored them and seemed upset about something; she found solace in Alice Waite and Mary Macdonald, however, and appeared all right by the end of the feast, although she still would not speak to them. (Sirius theorized that they had offended her at some point since unofficially meeting her and laughed over it). Peter Pettigrew, one of the smallest eleven year olds there, even among the girls, was very jumpy and kept his eyes downcast most of the time, speaking to no one. The two new friends wondered what his problem was and secretly chuckled over his demeanor, at a loss as to why anyone would be that shy. Even the other noticeably timid boy, Remus Lupin, at least worked up enough courage to speak to Frank Longbottom and Marlene McKinnon! _

_After the delectable meal, at which Sirius stuffed his pockets full of desserts (which would become tradition), they were escorted to the common room and marveled at all of the magical wonders along the way, especially the trick step. They spent time familiarizing themselves with the room and then entertained a group of young ones until they grew tired of it, an act that would become a staple. It was noted that the red head, Evans, sat outside the circle of onlookers with the two girls from dinner and would throw annoyed looks on their way every once in awhile._

"_What's got their broomstick in a bunch?," James pondered, "Are the first year Gryffindor girls all so stiff?" _

"_No!" a voice insisted to their right. They turned to it and saw a small, bold looking witch sitting next to a taller girl with wavy, brown hair._

"_We're here," she, Dorcas Meadowes, pointed out, referring to herself and McKinnon, "Maybe they think you're too loud."_

"_We're not _loud_. We're friendly." Sirius assured, grinning though all the same and nodding at James._

"_Exactly! Getting to know everyone!" he added, eyes flickering to a corner where that Lupin boy sat reading a book alone._

_Once in their dormitory for bed after being heavily persuaded by a sixth year prefect to do so, the excited boys came face to face with the quiet ones._

"_Oh. There are blokes already in here." Sirius stated when they walked into the room and saw it already occupied. Pettigrew sat frozen on a four poster with a pair of socks in his hand, face displaying a mild grimace, while Lupin looked up from removing pajamas from his trunk._

"_You like to sleep early then?," James asked them, "You must, to be in the room already. That, or you find pillows fascinating!" His companion laughed at the joke and Peter immediately stared at his bedspread, appearing nervous._

"_So you've picked your beds already? Even without discussing it with your dorm mates?" James continued, smirking slightly._

"_Yeah. Who's to say I didn't want that one? You—," said Sirius, abruptly turning to the one on the bed, "Who's to say I didn't want yours? Pettigrew, yeah?"_

_Peter gaped at the tallest boy in the room, mouth open as if he were going to answer, but no sound came forth. He looked terrified. After watching the small boy appear truly afraid after a bit and hearing the skinny kid with the glasses laugh, the other young wizard spoke up:_

"_We were up here first. It's no big deal." _

_All three looked to him, somewhat surprised._

"_It's not, Lupin?" James wondered, gazing at him. The tone of his voice sounded nonchalant but there was something else behind it, something that sounded determined—assertive. _

_It was silent as the other three continued to stare at him, waiting for his response. Peter still seemed frightened._

"I_ don't think so…" he mumbled, glancing at the Potter and Black kids once suspiciously. What followed was a large grin from James that was the first of many. He unfolded his arms and moved into the room, as if some barrier had just been broken that had needed to be._

"_Well neither do I!," he proclaimed, "I'll take this bed."_

_  
"Only taking your mickey, mate!," chuckled Sirius, playfully hitting Peter's shoulder, "Relax." Pettigrew appeared shocked and then intensely relieved, stealing a glance from Lupin—they both looked as if they had made it out a pit of lions safely._

"_You two know each other then?" James inquired, having just dragged his trunk to the middle bed._

"_Not really." Remus replied, sounding apologetic to Peter._

"_We… we sat on the Express together!," Peter piped up, still a tad hesitant, "W-With the other boy: Longbottom."_

"_Pureblood, he is. You too. Heard of your families." James remarked._

"_A-And you—Potter, of course! And you, Black!—" But at the realization of the Black family's reputation and if it might offend the current member, Peter hushed and blushed mightily._

_Sirius had just chosen the bed in between Peter and James and looked up, eyebrows raised._

"_Oh it's okay. I'm the defect—I'm sane," he reported. At this the four boys shared their first laugh together, and it was as fresh and inexperienced as they were._

"_Oy, I need to know!," James suddenly said, clutching a Falmouth Falcons poster in his hands, "D'you like Quidditch? 'Cause if you don't, you may need to find other board!" His face was set and far from humorous._

"_O… O-Of course!," Remus responded, alarm apparent in his voice, "Who doesn't?"_

"_Too right!" smiled James happily. Sirius grinned, studied the other two for a moment and then claimed:_

"_You mates seem all right! But, from what we've seen, it's obvious you're unacceptably shy!"_

"_Unacceptable," the Potter boy agreed._

"_And being the friendly first years _we _are, we'll invite you to eat breakfast with us tomorrow. Hell, maybe even sit in classes together!"_

"_In_vite_?" Remus questioned slowly, looking at Peter._

"_You're welcome," smiled Sirius. It was quiet as Remus looked from one boy to the other and Peter seemed unsure._

"_You know you want to."James called, standing on his bed with his back to them, sticking the poster to the wall with Spell-O-Tape. _

_And as the two, timid young wizards looked away trying to repress guilty smiles, busying themselves with whatever task, they knew it was true._

…

"All right," James announced, throwing open the lid to his trunk and rummaging inside, "Checklist!" The three Marauders were back inside their dormitory with the door closed, checking for their essentials.

"Cloak? Check," he started, moving it aside.

"Mirrors—check." Sirius commented, near his own trunk. They were wrapped in an old mitten and he threw them on his four poster.

"Fireworks. Check."

"Pus? A plus!"

"Map! Map… map…" Peter began, digging in his belongings, "Map…"

"Are you serious Peter?" James wondered disbelievingly, turning towards him. His face then lit up as he comprehended what he had said, and he opened his mouth to speak again but his best friend beat him to it.

"Make a damn joke about the name thing and I'll force feed you so many Acid Pops Pomfrey won't even be able to replace your tongue," Sirius flatly told him, "And you, Wormtail! We give you _one_ thing to hold onto and you can't even do that?!"

"I have it!..." Peter said, flipping urgently through his trunk.

"Well then find it, or else we'll use the skin from your face for a new one." James lightly remarked, as if mentioning the weather.

"Er… map… map! Map! I've found it!" He held it out gleefully.

"_Accio _Marauder's Map." Sirius lazily uttered. It flew obediently to him from his friend's hand.

"Hey!" Peter shouted.

"Too much responsibility for you, I think," he smirked.

"So that's pretty much it then!," James noted, standing up and surveying the room for no real reason, "Should we wait for Remus here or go downstairs?"

"Well we could put our stuff away while we wait," suggested Peter. Sirius looked at him darkly, eating a cookie from dinner, while James peered at him as if he had just spoken mermish. Peter looked between them, growing anxious with every second as he understood how he had sounded.

"Will we make biscuits and knit jumpers afterward?," the eldest Black son retorted in a sarcastically tender voice, "Merlin, _Mum_."

"I propose we make more plays for the Quidditch team," the captain remarked.

"There's an idea worth something!"

And so three fourths of the Marauders spent the next half hour collaborating on moves and tactics for the Gryffindor team with some help from James' personal copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_. Remus walked in the room after that only to move right back into the common room because his friends wanted to interact with their Housemates. Ever the entertainers, Sirius and James were the center of an audience; Peter sat near Dorcas and fully enjoyed the show with many others while Remus had a side conversation with Mary. Lily and Marlene were not seen at all during the spectacle and James took notice of this more than once, trying very hard to shrug it off with indifference.

When the five boys went to their dormitory around midnight to go to sleep, James reminded them they had to be up at five in the morning to set their prank up while Frank occupied the bathroom.

"And yes—it's unnatural to wake up that early but we have to get to the Great Hall before _anyone_ else does. So five o'clock." He gazed pointedly at Sirius while explaining this.

"What?! Are you singling me out?" Sirius questioned, leaning back against his pillows and wearing a tiny scowl.

"Yes, because it's ruddy well impossible to wake you up for _anything_ Padfoot."

"I partially resent that…" he mumbled.

At five minutes to five o'clock, James' alarm clock rattled purposefully on his bedside drawer that morning. It took a bit of time for him to open his eyes and during that time the clock had pushed his glasses off the drawer's top. His first reaction was to throw the device against the wall and go back to sleep, but it then dawned on him why he was getting up so early. He sat up in bed and turned the clock off with his left hand while his right hand groped for his glasses.

"Shit," he grumbled, discovering they were not in their rightful place. James leaned over the side to search the ground and when he found his glasses he threw them on his face, jumping out of bed and pushing past his half drawn drapes.

His room was silent and held no light, though that would change with the rising of the sun in a little more than an hour's time. James made a quick stop in the bathroom before going to wake the first Marauder: Peter. His curtains were always entirely open.  
"Wormtail—get up!" James whispered harshly, shining the light from his wand's tip in Peter's face. Peter grimaced unhappily with his eyes shut at the initial glare and then came to, squinting.

"Is five already Prons?" he slurred, rubbing his face.

"Yes. Don't forget your wand." The Potter's only child then moved to his right for Sirius' four poster, whose drapes were completely drawn. James threw them aside and walked over to his best friend's sleeping body, which looked like dead weight. Sirius was the definition of a heavy sleeper; his mouth was ajar slightly but even in that semi-conscious state his hair was near perfect.

"Wake up twat!" James quietly shouted, hovering right above his friend's ear. When he did not stir, James moved away and directed his wand at Sirius' face, preparing to execute plan B.

"_Aguamenti_." A steady stream of water hit Sirius directly on his nose and he shot up quite instantly, appearing very surprised and murderous.

"James," he heatedly began, glaring at the source, "What the fu—"

"Oh, quiet now Black! It'd be rude to wake Frank." James responded, a mischievous smile on his lips.

They could hear Peter speaking lowly with Remus and, as Sirius stood to stretch, heard him say:

"I'm not going."

James strode over to Remus' bedside, brows creased.

"What do you mean you're not going?" he asked rapidly, pointing a light at the werewolf.

"I'm tired, for one," Remus groggily replied. Sirius snorted, "And even if I weren't, I wouldn't feel like participating in this prank. I just don't want to… not this time. And, well… you know… Head Boy…" They did not know if he trailed off because he saw no need to further elaborate, lost his nerve or just started to fall asleep once more.

"And you mean it?" Peter inquired.

"Way to be a team player Moony," scoffed Sirius, which was also a half yawn, "Changing on us already."

"Whatever then," sighed James, somewhat vexed, "Let's go." They turned from his bed and picked up the bag of necessities sitting next to the door.

"G'luck…" Remus muttered as they slipped out of the room.

The days had long passed when the Gryffindor boys could all fit under James' Invisibility Cloak. Due to the natural wonders of puberty and aging, the Cloak could now only fully mask two of the four wizards without any body part being seen. This particular morning James and Peter took refuge under the sheath while Sirius placed a Disillusionment Charm on himself. They made their way stealthily through the castle and arrived at the kitchens' entrance, which was the departing point for one of them; the prank required someone to take the pus to the Great Hall while the others had to utilize the fireworks in the kitchens. Sirius volunteered to tackle the dining hall, citing that Peter was much too afraid to handle something of that magnitude by himself and demanding a cup of coffee before he left. James hopped inside to retrieve the drink, much to the delight of the elves at seeing "Master Jamesy" again, and shortly afterward the three went about their business. By 5:45 the deed had been done and they rushed back up to their tower, for the first signs of life had begun to emerge.

"So when will the actual event happen?" Remus asked, bringing his eggs to his mouth.

"After the House Heads pass out the schedules." Sirius half smirked, hands cupping a mug of coffee. The students of Hogwarts were eating the first breakfast of the year and would soon be attending their first classes.

"Hello all!," Alice greeted merrily as she approached the table at Frank's side, "Sleep well?" The couple sat down.

"Er… for the most part." Sirius responded, grinning smugly.

"Frank, are we never going to see you from now on? Seems like you've become Alice's shadow, with all due respect Waite!" James joked, nodding at them and grinning.

"That's not—" Frank started.

"That's a yes!," Dorcas finished, smiling as she arrived at the table with the other Gryffindor sixth year girls, "They've abandoned us for one another."

"They can't help it if they're happy." Marlene commented cheerfully as they sat down.

"_Thank_ you Marlene!" Alice said.

"Happy—that's what you call it?" Sirius quipped. There was laughter. James took the opportunity to look down the surface at Lily, who was smiling diminutively and starting on a piece of toast.

"All right Evans?" he wondered brightly. She stopped mid-bite and peered at him sideways.

"Uh… fine, thanks," she replied. She was a bit stunned that she had actually answered him and that it had not been scathing in any way. She was also aware of the fact that she was sitting in the same vicinity as Potter; in the past, this would have not been thinkable even if it had meant sitting without her friends. Lily supposed the apology he had given her on the train yesterday was more significant than she had realized.

"Schedules to be handed out in 10 minutes!" Minerva McGonagall boomed from the High Table.

"Oooh, classes!" Marlene beamed, clapping. Dorcas stared at her as if she had sprouted a second head and Sirius was looking at her in the same manner, though amused.

Ten minutes later, as promised, schedules were being passed down the four tables and the Heads of Houses were speaking with the sixth and seventh years.

"Good. You lot are sitting together—convenient for me." McGonagall briskly stated looking at the parchment, although there was something pleasant in her voice.

"Ladies, we will begin with you. Ms. Evans." She walked over to Lily to speak with her exclusively.

"You passed every OWL exam, which I must say is commendable!," McGonagall began. Lily smiled, "So I have you down for Defense, my class, Herbology, Charms, Potions and Astronomy. Very good."

A few minutes later she moved onto the boys, starting with Sirius.

"Black. You received an OWL for every subject, which is stunning considering the amount of time you did _not_ spend studying last term!," McGonagall noted. Sirius smirked; they both knew she knew he was very intelligent, "For you, Charms, Defense, Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures."

A short while later their professor had moved onto the Gryffindor seventh years as the sixth years collaborated. James and Sirius had the same exact schedules and were slightly outraged that Remus only had four of their six classes.

"You're not taking Care, or Potions." Sirius flatly said, glowering at him.

"You know I'm rubbish at Potions!," he defended, "I only managed to get an 'A' for that exam."

"History?! You're taking History of _Magic_ Moony?!" James cried in disbelief.

"It's important to know your history and rights," Remus told them, snatching his schedule back, "Especially with my condition…"

It turned out that Remus shared History with Frank and Peter, and Peter only had four classes with him as well. (His remaining class was Divination and Remus' was Astronomy).

"Any moment now…" Sirius mumbled as the talk of classes died and Professor Flitwick sat back down at the staff's table, having consulted with the Ravenclaws.

Roughly two minutes later the fireworks, literally, began. It started on the right side end of the Slytherin table and like a deafening procession made its way down to the left. All of the plates the snakes were eating on erupted into a colorful, lively firework one right after the other, causing the students to scream out in fright and jump out of their seats. The hall was initially dumbstruck at the commencement of the unexpected event, but upon seeing the vibrant lights and hearing the Slytherins' yells of distress, it erupted with even more noise. The other students laughed mirthlessly and pointed at the victims or shouted themselves; the Marauders were among the Gryffindors laughing the loudest. All of the professors at the High Table had stood up and Flitwick, Slughorn and Dumbledore rushed to the Slyhterins' side. As Dorcas banged the table with her fist, laughing, and Mary shook with pleasure, Lily found her mouth agape. In the next instant she had uncontrollably snorted from a string of giggles, and then clasped a hand to her mouth as if she had committed a verbal sin. Lowering her hand she looked at the Marauders—all but Remus were guffawing with glee, and even he looked highly entertained!

Slughorn was trying to calm his students as Dumbledore and Flitwick used their wands to halt the fireworks. When they had finally ceased the show, the grand finale then made itself known—volumes of slug pus poured forth from about ten different spots above, as if coming from invisible containers. The Slytherins shrieked in disgust as the rest of the room took the noise level even higher from delight. The Marauders were practically dying from laughter.

"Everyone to your first lessons! Everyone to your first lessons _now_!" the Headmaster loudly commanded to the rest of the population. Professor Slughorn looked positively furious as he spat out pus—he had been drenched as well.

The Hufflepuff Head Girl and Ravenclaw Head Boy were summoned to ensure the pupils were actually departing the hall. Sirius was clutching his side as he rose, watching his younger brother hold out his arms in distress, and James wiped a tear away as he pictured the looks Avery and Snape had had on their faces.

Their first class was Charms and the events at breakfast still had everyone buzzing.

"That was more than I could have asked for!" Sirius said happily as he sat down next to his best friend.

"They are going to be in foul moods for weeks!" Remus pointed out, shaking his head. A pair of Hufflepuffs walked in and when they passed the four, they have the Marauders thumbs up, grinning.

"They know our work." Peter stated proudly.

"So how'd you do it?" Dorcas inquired when she walked into the room. She stopped near their desks as her friends took seats.

"Why, what ever do you mean Dorcas?" Sirius answered, feigning utter surprise. She rolled her eyes, grinning impishly.

"We cannot officially be connected to what happened at breakfast! Never assume," declared James.

"Ha!" Frank remarked, opening his book. Marlene and Alice giggled.

"But, considering the situation, the ones at fault may have had to make ten barrels of that pus invisible, magic a lot of slug pus to begin with, and suspend the barrels over the table."

"They may have also had to shrink a load of Filibusters and convince kitchen elves to let them magically stick them on the bottom of the Slytherin plates, though the elves were probably eager to please." James explained. Frank chuckled, eyes scanning the pages.

"Brilliant!" Dorcas laughed, eyes shining as she sat down next to Marlene. Lily shared a desk with Mary and glanced at the Marauders, fighting back a contemplating frown.

The class had to wait another five minutes before Flitwick showed up since they had been sent to their lessons early.

"Will the Slytherins be okay professor?" Sirius pondered in mock concern when he arrived.

"They are fine, Mr. Black," he piped up, "Upset, but fine. They may be a tad late for their first classes, mind…. Either way, congratulations all on making it to NEWT Charms!"

Ten minutes after Flitwick had commenced the class, Snape, Avery and Rosier stalked into the room appearing unscathed yet lucidly irate.

"Ah, gentlemen! Take your seats please!" the professor said. Obvious snickers emerged at the sight of the three from various desks.

"I think I can still smell the pus." James whispered not-so-quietly. Peter and Sirius let out snorts that earned them contemptuous death leers from the Slytherins, and it was clear who they felt was behind the fiasco.

"Where's Mulciber?" Remus whispered.

"Too stupid to be in NEWT Charms, I reckon." Sirius hopefully postulated.

"Nah—the git was right under a barrel. I think they're still trying to find him under all the gunk." James informed.

When class dismissed the Slytherins were the first ones out of the room, murmuring ominously amongst themselves. Snape looked spitefully at the Marauders but when his vision took in Lily accidentally as well, he turned away.

"Transfiguration next." Sirius commented, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"And then our first free period!," Peter excitedly added, "I think I'll sleep…"

"Yeah, well, all I know is—" But what James knew he did not get to vocalize because at that moment two Ravenclaw witches strolled by giggling.

"Thanks for the morning show boys!" the taller, blonde one told them, smiling.

"We appreciated it," the brunette grinned. Her hair was in curls and touched her shoulders. The four of them stared at the girls and it was not until they were almost gone that Sirius responded, with his signature, devilish smile reserved for females:

"Anytime, loves!" The blonde's eyes flickered to James before the two disappeared.

"Ravenclaws." Peter stated.

"Oh yes," grinned Sirius, "Michelle Parks and Fiona Etherton! I noticed them last year. Lookers, aren't they?"

"I would say so." James mused as the four started to leave the room.

"Oh! I think I've forgotten my Transfiguration book!" Remus claimed, searching in his bag.

"That's a first! Good luck nipping up there and not being late," said Sirius.

James felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Lily at his right. His heart did a cartwheel in his chest as his friends left the room and hers followed, chattering away.

The sight of her must have triggered something in him, mixed in with the feelings associated with the successful prank and attention from the Ravenclaw girls, because he quickly forgot to mind his behavior around her.

"Evans!" James greeted, that arrogant, self-assured grin appearing.

"I have a strong suspicion you were involved with what happened at breakfast." Lily remarked. This was a statement, and notably devoid yet of any judgment or anger.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about? That's why you wanted to get me alone?"

"I could've done it at a concert Potter, it's no big deal," she clarified, narrowing her eyes and speaking slowly.

"Uh huh… sure," he grinned smugly, "Maybe you shouldn't fool yourself Evans—you wanted to be alone with me!"

His hand then jumped to his hair to rustle it and his smile became, if possible, even more arrogant as he stepped towards her. Lily's lips became set as she glared at him. No, maybe she should not fool herself, especially into thinking that this _boy_ could possibly be sincere for once! Ever!

"Look Potter," she hotly began, stepping back rapidly and giving up all pretenses, "I know you and your mates are the ones who pulled that prank!"

"Oh yeah?," James wondered, starting to notice her demeanor had changed. He faltered, sense creeping back into him, "Prove it." She issued a brief, harsh laugh.

"And to think I _actually_ thought you were!... That speech you gave me on the Express was basically a load of dung, then." Lily mentioned.

This hit James full on, erasing all remnants of his haughty amusement and reminding him what he had originally resolved to do to change.

"That's not true," he insisted, feeling like a total moron.

"It's not? You tell me you're sorry for attacking Snape and then go off and do the whole House—"

"I told you I was sorry for attacking him without _reason_, and I am," came the correction.

"And what's the reason for getting all of the Slytherins?" she asked swiftly.

"What was the reason they tampered with Frank's things? What's the reason they put that Hufflepuff Britney in the Hospital Wing last term? What's the reason they feel the need to target you and Macdonald for being Muggleborn?!" James fired back. She gazed up at him somewhat flabbergasted; she noticed his hazel eyes had become darker and there was conviction in his voice.

"It's not only us Evans," he stated steely. Silence then followed in which she was totally speechless and could practically hear his mind whirring.

"Anyway, it's tradition," the Quidditch captain grumbled, "It's every year since we've been here. Remus had nothing to do with it though, so don't go thinking badly of him. Just save it for me, like you always do."

Before she could even have the chance to answer him, James left the now empty classroom. Lily did not immediately follow; instead she stayed rooted to her spot, mulling over what he had said and why she felt confused.

* * *

A/N: Now that they are back at Hogwarts, I wanted to say something on Dumbledore. He doesn't have a huge role in the beginning of this story but he, undoubtedly, will appear in it much more often as the plot goes on and things become more dark. Next chapter next week! I'm also thinking of naming the chapters-- I don't like them titleless...


	7. Wimpy, Bitter, Potty, Loony

A/N: Sorry I'm a week late in posting!! But I had been a bad, lazy author and didn't have enough chapters typed in order to post this one. But I'm good for now :P

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 7**

"Maybe Sirius was right." James morosely observed, staring into the empty common room fireplace from his armchair.

" 'Course I was," the Black boy promptly responded, eyes on his bishop, "Right about what?"

"Evans. Me getting over her."

"Prongs, we can't possibly keep up with all the emotions you have in regards to Lily." Remus told him, then ordering his rook to move.

The three sat in Gryffindor Tower which was tranquilly deserted because it was a free period. There was not nearly the number of bodies present as there usually were.

"No, I mean it," he noted, sitting up, "Maybe we'll just never be together. Maybe she doesn't _want_ to see more to me. Maybe I'll keep messing it up because my brain seems to be useless when I get around her!" His two friends looked up from their game of chess.

"Maybe," quipped Sirius, disliking to see his best friend in such a moody state and wanting to lighten things up, "Come _on_, Jamesy! What if… what if you just need to stop thinking so much?"

"What?!" laughed Remus, eyes squinted.

"About winning her over! You _thought_ it would work to be cool for her—she saw it as being a conceited toerag. You recently thought you'd be conscious and change for her—that's not working out either. Just be you, for you! Enough with all the mental effort…" Sirius explained, looking at the board again. James was staring at him.

"Wow." Remus simply stated.

"You both amaze and scare me sometimes Padfoot." James revealed, beginning to smile.

"Always keep 'em guessing!" he replied.

"Exactly. Checkmate!" grinned Remus with folded arms. His rook brutally bashed Sirius' queen.

"Twit!" Sirius exclaimed, annoyed, loud enough to make a sleeping Peter on a nearby sofa twitch.

In the girls' dormitory, Lily sat shoeless on her bed with crossed legs and a reflective grimace on her face. She was fiddling idly with a long piece of string from her scarlet comforter. Mary was perched at a study desk, writing, and Marlene was organizing her trunk. (Alice was off with Frank somewhere on the grounds and Dorcas was downstairs chatting with some seventh years).

"Mary, Marlene," Lily sighed as Autumn jumped on her bed, meowing, "What are your honest opinions about Potter?"

"Why?" Mary smirked with drawn eyebrows, pulling her head back. It was obvious this question had caught her off guard.

"I wonder if I'm misjudging him, _slightly_. Missing something…"

"Well this is new!," Marlene cheerfully announced, smiling, "What's your opinion of him?"

"Like we don't know," scoffed Mary, entertained.

"Well most of the time he's just a pompous, self-centered prat!," Lily heatedly commented, green eyes alive, "But… then, occasionally, he… he c-can seem… seem deeper. Like there's more to him."

"Of course there is more to him Lily—that's every person! People have different sides and it wouldn't be accurate to judge them based on one. What if people saw you only when you got into one of those tempers of yours?" lectured Marlene.

"They'd think you were a right cow with her knickers always in a twist." Mary interjected. Lily grinned, petting her purring cat.

"Well, yes," the pureblood laughed, "And to answer your question, _I_ think James is a good wizard with a good heart who just happens to get misguided at times, whether by attention or boredom."

"I've definitely met worse people. Some live in this castle…" the other Muggleborn noted, shaking her head and turning back around to face the desk. Lily thought about what James had said about the Slytherins' actions and when Remus had said he possessed great friends. Potter _had_ cleared Remus of the prank, not wanting her image of his friend to be jaded. _Did_ she always think badly of Potter?...

"Anyway," the red head exhaled, moving past the subject because it was forming a signature headache, "We've got to go back to class soon." For Lily, Marlene and Remus that meant Astronomy; for James, Sirius and Dorcas it was off to Care of Magical Creatures.

And so their classes and free periods passed in succession for the remainder of the day. Lily noticed James' elation from earlier in the day had dissipated in their next class together and that he appeared to be brooding; it was unusual to see him upset and she briefly wondered if what she had told him could be a reason as to why. However, by the following class (Potions), he was his typical, zealous self. Professor Slughorn was happy to greet his sixth year NEWT Potions class full of the students who "truly appreciate the art of brewing", and delighted in acknowledging Lily. He was warm to Snape as well (at which his Gryffindor rivals quietly gagged) and torn at the presence of Sirius and James. While they were far from incompetent, the two had played around so often in his previous Potions courses that Slughorn was definitely apprehensive. On the other hand, their two other partners in mischief were not taking the class so perhaps things would be calmer….

When all of the classes for the first day had ended, the student population had dinner to look forward to.

"I've got a prefect meeting after dinner." Remus declared as the troupe made its way to the Great Hall for food.

"That means time spent with Rosier. Try and bathe before you get back, so you don't carry his diseases with you." Sirius answered.

"I can't wait for the first Hogsmeade trip!" Peter fondly sighed.

"Yeah, because we have no way of getting there without permission from Hogwarts." James quipped, smirking. Sirius snorted.

"Well… officially, it's different…" Peter lamely claimed.

A piercing, loud cackle then met their ears, as if it were coming from behind them. They swiftly turned around to see Peeves the Poltergeist swooping quickly towards them and ducked just in time, avoiding the Gobstones he had thrown in their direction. A couple of fourth years ahead of them shouted as they were pelted with the objects and scattered off.

"Look who it is—the wee Gryffindor pranksters! Wimpy Wormtail, Bitter Black, Potty Potter and Lo-oony Lupin!" the spirit taunted, circling them.

"Who'd you steal the stones from Peeves?" asked Sirius, irked. Peeves looked at them from the space in between his legs, head upside down, and replied:

"Your mum!"

"Sod off Peeves—we've got no patience for you right now." James told him.

"Aaw—the itty Marauders don't want to play with me!" he whined, grinning devilishly and producing more stones to throw.

"The Baron!" Remus then exclaimed, eyes wide and pointing behind them. Peeves yelped, dropping his missiles and flying off to the left, not even bothering to see if the Bloody Baron was actually there.

"Good thinking Remus." Peter congratulated as they resumed their walk.

When the four teenagers approached the entrance to the hall, they saw the group of Slytherin sixth year boys to the right out of the corner of their eyes. The snakes appeared too absorbed in their conversation to have noticed their rivals.

"If only we could relive the breakfast!," Sirius smiled, chuckling.

The Slytherins reached the threshold first, mixing in with a bunch of Ravenclaws, and Snape took the opportunity to point his wand towards the ground and execute a silent hex, smirking. Sirius suddenly went sprawling forward and cried out, arms pin wheeling. James, alarmed, managed to catch his right arm before he hit the floor as Remus grabbed his left. The other students around them moved aside, some laughing at the near trip.

"My feet are stuck together!" the Black boy shouted angrily, still holding onto Remus.

"The Slytherins." Peter said, looking ahead. With gritted teeth, James extracted his wand and pointed it as his victims as Remus prepared to use a countercurse on Sirius.

"_Tara_—" James began.

"AHA! Got you!" a wheezy voice shouted triumphantly. Argus Filch then came hobbling rapidly up to the entrance with his cat at his heels, pointing a finger at them.

"What? We didn't—" Peter staretd.

"Quiet boy!," Filch snapped, "I finally got you! I know you four were behind this morning's debacle!"

"You can't get us on that!" Sirius insisted, feet still stuck.

"There is no magic in the corridors either! Potter was about to perform it, as was Lupin!"

"To help Sirius!" defended Remus, shocked.

"But I _didn't_!" James said.

"Detention! Seven days, for two hours!" the caretaker announced.

"WHAT?!!" came the combination of four voices.

"What is going on here?!" McGonagall sharply questioned, striding up to them and observing the situation. She had been on her way to the dining hall as well.

"Minerva! These troublemakers here were caught—" Filch hurriedly explained.

"Doing nothing! He didn't catch anything!" Sirius affirmed.

"Remus was going to undo the hex on Sirius and _Mr_. Filch is trying to give us detention for it!" James added.

"Go to your table boys," their Head of House sighed, "I'll talk to Argus here." McGonagall pointed her wand at Sirius' feet and they became independent of one another once more.

"He really hates us." Peter commented, once they were inside and seated.

"So we made the last five years here for him a bit difficult? That does not warrant how he treats us!" Sirius protested, pulling roast beef towards him.

"Remember the bet you and Prongs had in third year to see who could get the longest standing detention with him?" Remus pondered, half smiling and helping himself to vegetables.

"Yep!" both wizards answered at the same time, smiling proudly.

"I won!" Sirius said.

"You did not—it was by default! On that Saturday I had been seven hours into mine and _you_ set free and jinxed two dozen Fanged Frisbees so he _had_ to stop them! It ended my detention, which was pushing seven hours and thirty minutes and you didn't want it to go past your own, same record! I would've had eight hours and the title." James corrected, eyes squinted.

"Is that a challenge for a rematch?" his best friend wondered, grinning wickedly.

"James, _you_ haven't had a detention since March! You know, when you celebrated your birthday a bit too extremely for McGonagall." Peter mentioned. The boy gaped at him, bewildered.

"No! No, I… there was that time when… well, in May I!..." He trailed off, clearly deliberating hard, and Sirius laughed, saying:  
"Someone has gone all prefect on me!"

"I was busy with other things!" James crossly declared. Had it really been that long since he had gotten a detention?! Was he losing his characteristic mischievousness?

"Trying to impress Evans maybe," snickered Peter.

"You're on. Second bet, with any professor," James flatly stated, referring to Sirius' earlier proposition but leering at Peter.

"Excellent," Sirius smiled, satisfied, "Wanna get in on it Moony?"

"Of course, right after I go spit in Dumbledore's face!" Remus responded, voice full of sarcastic cheer. His friends laughed.

During a good portion of dessert while everyone else was talking, Sirius was surveying the room instead, occasionally bringing food to his mouth.

"Sirius, _what_ are you doing?" Frank asked. He was (actually) sitting with his roommates and had joined them halfway through dinner.

"Eating," he replied, eyes still scouring.

"I can see that. Why are you staring around the hall?"

"Yeah, it's weird. Like you're choosing a victim." Peter added. Sirius ceased his search and focused his attention back to them.

"I haven't snogged a girl since June—I'm overdue," he plainly noted.

"So you're looking for someone?" Remus inquired, eyebrows raised.

"Precisely."

"You're that desperate?" the Pettigrew boy wondered. Sirius shot him a particularly nasty look then answered scathingly:

"I'm sorry _Pete_, but while some of us haven't been kissed in, oh, I'd say… _ever_, others can't last that long!"

Peter blushed a lovely shade and trembled as if on the verge of saying something, but James clapped him on the back and interjected:

"Oh, low blow Padfoot! We couldn't all have our first kiss at the tender age of eleven!"

"Hey—I was being friendly!" Sirius defended, smiling confidently.

"You're a league of your own, Sirius." Remus told him, shaking his head.

"Why don't you try for Fiona Etherton? I saw you wink at her in Defense." Frank commented, putting his last piece of pie in his mouth. Sirius, who James was sure had been peering momentarily at Marlene, looked at him and hit the table.

"Of course! Obviously! It's settled then. Thanks Frank," he said.

A little bit afterward the students began to leave the Great Hall and retire to their common rooms for the night.

"Remus, shall we walk to the meeting now?" Lily pondered, turning towards the boys and giving an attractive smile, "We'll be a bit early…"

"All right," he replied genially, nodding. James, who was the last one sitting and had not finished his custard quite yet, looked at her. There was no trace of anything readable on it, truly; she _never_ smiled at him like that.

Lily felt the gaze and her own flickered to him, but he was already consuming his dessert once more.

"Later Lupin. See you afterward." Sirius hailed as the Potter boy put down his spoon and sprung up, beginning to talk to Frank. Remus and Lily made their way out of the Great Hall with the rest of the departing witches and wizards.

"How do you think NEWT classes are going to be?" he inquired.

"Notably exhausting!," she sighed, "Two years to prepare for the exams—that's not intimidating at all!"

"You'll be fine Lily." Remus assured, good naturedly.

"Let's hope," she half smiled, "Marlene is going on with Muggle Studies and is very excited about it, though she insists she'll need my help on her major essays about noteworthy Muggle inventions."

"Good summer Evans?" came a low, deep voice as they passed the Slytherin table.

The two Gryffindors glanced and saw Mulciber staring at them, a twisted smile plastered on his face. A tall seventh year was by his side and Regulus Black, who was sitting on the bench. Lily's own face scrunched up in disgust. Mulciber had to be the worst Slytherin at Hogwarts; she would never forget what he did to Mary, and he was so… eerie. The Muggleborn moved on as though she had not been addressed.

"No answer? Oh, that's rude Evans! You should always have the decency to answer someone when they speak to you!" The seventh year, Cooper, chuckled at this then said:

"Especially a lowly Mud—"

"Leave her alone!" Remus spat, anger rising and a hand on his wand. Though the tamest Marauder he may have been, he was a Marauder nonetheless.

"What if I don't want to? What are you going to possibly do about it Lupin?," Mulciber smiled darkly, "Are you anything without Black and Potter at your side?" Regulus squinted his eyes at his brother's friend.

"You can find out," he replied threateningly. Lily looked at him in surprise and admiration. Remus was never typically confrontational, and she supposed that for this some must have thought he was weak, but she knew better.

"Let's go," she told him, grabbing his wrist. At that moment Snape sidled up to his Housemates, surveying the scene with drawn brows. The filthy glare Lily gave Mulciber turned to her ex-friend before the two departed the hall, and he scowled at Remus in return. (Remus made a mental note to inform Sirius that his brother was consorting with Snape and his mates).

"I told you to leave Evans alone." Severus noted, peering at Mulciber.

"I didn't _do_ anything to the Mudblood," his roommate responded, agitated, "And like we've told you Snape, you need to stop caring about what _does_ happen to her."

"It's not that," he lied, "I'm sorry if you're too dim enough to remember how much trouble you got into the last time you had fun with Macdonald! If you want to get expelled then by all means continue what you are, or are _not_, doing, Mulciber."

Snape then went to find Avery and left the other to grumble and glower at his back.

The prefect meeting went smoothly and Remus came back with news for his friends. He found them in their dormitory.

"When's Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked, lying back on his bed.

"October 26th."

"Right in time for Halloween!"

"We were also reminded of Apparation lessons for the sixth years later in the school year." Remus said, sitting down and pulling his History of Magic book towards him.

"I can't wait!" James commented, looking over the Marauders' Map on the floor.

"I can," Peter mumbled, eyes glued to his Divination homework, "Do you know how easily you could splinch yourself? I'd be the one to do it, I know I would!"

"Peter, you became an Animagus, the most difficult magic there is! I'm sure you can handle Apparation." Remus explained.

"And I needed all the help James and Sirius could give!"

"Don't know how much help we'll be able to give this time, mate." James smirked.

"I know—I'm doomed!" Peter insisted.

"You're a perfectly capable wizard Peter. Start believing it, will you?" Remus bluntly remarked.

"I don't know Remus. I sometimes wonder how Wormtail got into NEWT classes." Sirius languidly said from his bed, gesturing with his hand. Remus frowned heavily at him as James' shook his head, grinning.

"Anyway, Lily and I have rounds on Thursdays this year James, not Tuesdays," he reported. He was disclosing this information because during their castle rounds in fifth year, James had "coincidentally" appeared in the halls more than once, "running" into them.

"Thanks for the tip Moony, but you won't be seeing much of me out on Thursday nights, which I'm sure Evans will appreciate," came the reply. Peter raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"You caused more trouble for them anyway," grinned Sirius, "Either starting pointless conversations or duels with those who shouldn't have been out in the first place, just to show how 'manly' you were!" James shrugged, smiling in a defeated manner.

The next morning at breakfast McGonagall visited the Gryffindor table again.

"I managed to talk Filch out of the detentions he wanted to give you four yesterday," she started, addressing the Marauders, "But I won't be able to help you every time, nor would I be warranted to in many cases! You know he's got an unpleasant history with you lot, so tone it down this year will you? He is committed to get you for something this term!"

"We'll try." Sirius answered, fighting back a smirk.

"Potter—I will give the Quidditch hopefuls list to you in about a week and you can decide from there when to have tryouts. Gryffindor's first game is November first."

"Thanks professor," he said. McGonagall then left for the High Table.

"Thankfully you only need another Chaser and Seeker." Peter pointed out.

"Yes, but finding a Seeker isn't as easy. They've got to be really good and most people just aren't," remarked James.

"You'll find someone." Remus assured off handedly.

"Post's here." Sirius stated, briefly looking up at the sound of flapping wings. The owls delivered the mail to the students for whom it was meant and James' copy of _The Daily Prophet _was dropped in front of him. (His parents had gotten a subscription for him during his fourth year).

"Moony." James offered, knowing that the Lupin boy liked reading the newspaper first out of all of them.

"I've forgotten something, _again_," they heard Frank tell Alice in regards to a package from his mother, as Remus politely declined. James shrugged and delved into it as his friends began covertly talking about the date for September's full moon, which happened to be the 20th.

"He's at it again." James announced sharply, clearly after he had read a bit.

"Who?" Peter wondered.

"Voldemort."

"What happened?" Sirius questioned, alarmed. Remus grabbed the paper hastily towards him and Peter.

"His mark was found over a house two days ago, the home of a Hogsmeade shop owner. Got him and his wife." James gravely reported.

"But that's so close to Hogwarts!" Peter exclaimed.

"Weren't the Muggle victims a couple of months ago enough?!," Sirius commented, "Already another attack?"

"Don't forget Alfred Thumbkin's disappearance in the beginning of August." Remus mentioned grimly, his eyes taking in the printed words.

"But that wasn't officially connected to, to h-him!" Thumbkin still hasn't turned up!" insisted Peter.

"Use your head Pete! Thumbkin is a well-known Ministry wizard—who else would be behind it?"

"People didn't start disappearing until _he_ came around." James added.

"Those wizards obviously are a threat to him, or refusing to join up." Remus noted.

"Things weren't like this in first or second year." Peter fearfully remarked.

"He had just made himself known then, had no true power yet. Things started to change fourth year, remember?" explained James.

Indeed they did. This Lord Voldemort had procured a lot of fear and support by that time, making his dark intentions clear.

"Pettigrew's right though—that was close to Hogwarts." Sirius stated, a bit uncomfortable.

"He could never get to the castle, never. Dumbledore wouldn't stand for it." Remus said. James and his best friend nodded, knowing it was true.

"It's terrible, being here while our families are out there, possible targets for h-him." Peter told them. All but Sirius looked at each other, appearing to pale a bit; that _was_ a frightening thought. The eldest Black son looked upset and embittered—he had come to deeply care about the likes of his friends' families and it was the likes of _his_ family that supported what Voldemort was doing.

"We shouldn't be giving him more thought than he deserves," James interjected forcefully, coming out of the dismal stupor, "Our only concern should be how we're going to stop him when we're out of here!" Sirius looked at him and then grinned, a hard gleam in his eyes.

"Well spoken Mr. Potter!" he replied. Remus smiled and nodded, while Peter only sullenly wished he was braver.

Word of the Hogsmeade deaths had gotten around by lunchtime and many of the students, like Peter, were anxious because it had been in close relation to the school and an act of You-Know-Who. Some of the Slytherins consorted excitedly on the topic, a few more knowledgeable of the details of the attack, and Regulus, eager, was among them along with Snape. Severus knew the wizard and witch had died on Voldemort's orders and not by the man himself, but plenty of people instantaneously heard his name attached to something and just assumed he was there for it. That's what Death Eaters were for…. In Potions that day when Severus was not scribbling notes in his book about the potion they had been assigned to begin creating, he would sometimes find himself looking subconsciously in Lily's direction for dangerous amounts of time. His peers were right, no matter how much he wished they were not, if only for her sake; she was a Muggleborn and the Dark Lord desired to rid of her kind first. Snape wanted to protect her and would try to do so even now that she was done with him—he wished to see absolutely no harm done to her. He thought of their old moments spent together, the good and bad ones, the ones where she had questioned his choices.

…

_Lily stood by the beech tree near the lake, watching the water's surface with folded arms across her chest and a tapping right foot. The sun was threatening to set below the horizon and so the sky was a magnificent blend of pink, orange and red. It was a Saturday on that day in late May, and so the weather was still pleasantly warm._

He's extremely late, _she thought as she impatiently checked her watch._

_Twenty minutes late? It was absurd! Severus was supposed to have met her here so they could walk the grounds and talk; as of late in their fourth year, the two friends had not spent as much time together due to different obligations and schedules. _

_Had he forgotten? Whether he had or not, Lily was peeved and decided to go back to the Gryffindor common room where she could study with her girlfriends. As the red head turned and began walking away from the lake, she saw her Slytherin friend walking quickly in her direction over the grass, throwing a stealthy glance over his shoulder once. She ceased walking, with her arms still folded._

"_Thanks for finally joining me." Lily remarked when he was face to face with her._

"_Sorry, Lily," Severus answered, sensing the irritation in her voice, "I had… issues getting here."_

"_What kind of issues?," she responded, thinking of the glance he had given the castle while walking to her. She immediately went on defense, "Did Potter and Black bother you?"_

_A ball of gratitude and pleasure exploded in Severus' stomach and he enjoyed the disgust in her tone._

"_No," he admitted, still happy, "It was... Ethan Coombs."_

"_Coombs—the Hufflepuff?" Lily asked, now showing slight confusion._

"_Yeah. We ran into him…"_

"_What do you mean 'ran into him', Sev? Who is 'we'?"_

"_Avery, Mulciber and I. Coombs… he, er, was in the way…" Severus muttered, smirking and looking back towards the school. Lily did not answer; instead, she studied her friend with narrowed eyes. The smugness in his voice told her that Ethan was probably in the Hospital Wing right now and had been taken unawares._

"_Did you do it too Severus?" she inquired gruffly. He looked at her face, appearing startled at her change._

"_Do what?" he wondered._

"_Attack Coombs. What was it for?"_

"_I didn't—"_

"_Don't pretend Severus! Your mates cursed him, didn't they?" Lily said fiercely. He glowered at her momentarily before looking away, now clearly conflicted._

"_It was just trying out a few new spells." Severus grumbled._

"_Your ideas of new spells are unusual Sev—they're _dark_! They started becoming that way last year!"_

"_It's no big deal Lily."_

"_Yes, it is! You're my friend and I don't want to see you get caught up in that horrible stuff. But… it's like we're changing, both of us." the Muggleborn noted._

"_We _are_ in different Houses," he commented sorrowfully, grudgingly. _

"_Well that doesn't mean you have to fall into the traditions of yours."_

_There was silence as Severus took in her words, reflection on them. Lily did not understand—she never really would; things were much more complicated than that. He did not voice this opinion but he hated seeing her upset, so he concluded on changing the subject._

"_Can we still talk?" Severus inquired, sounding hopeful and apologetic. Lily sighed and then said:_

"_Of course Sev."_

…

During dinner that night Dumbledore addressed his students, since their concerns about the Hogsmeade deaths could not be overlooked. He assured them they were completely safe within Hogwarts' perimeters while acknowledging the ever growing threat of Voldemort. In the Gryffindor common room, after the meal, the Marauders sat around a table with a few homework supplies on top of it, though they had not touched any of it.

"Homework on the second day of lessons. Loads of it." Peter grumbled, disgruntled.

"Welcome to NEWTs!" Remus sighed. Sirius was drumming his fingers on the table, staring up at the ceiling, while James sat with crossed arms, surveying the room.

"That's it, then. I'm off," announced Sirius after a little bit, sitting up and shooting a hand through his hair.

"Off where?" pondered James.

"To see Fiona. I asked her to meet me by her common room in ten minutes."

"You waste no time!" laughed the Potter boy. Remus shook his head, an amused look on his face.

"Waste not want not!," Sirius grinned, "See you." He left the table and walked to the portrait hole, saying something to Frank on his way out. A group of obsequious fifth year girls watched him depart and giggled intensely when he had gone.

Sitting near the empty hearth on multiple scarlet armchairs were the sixth year girls. Marlene, Mary and Lily were the only ones with textbooks, parchment and quills, attempting to get their homework at least started. Marlene's parchment and quill hovered near her book and she had bewitched it to write down whatever she said, upon indication.

"So Mitchell is really going out for the Quidditch team?" Alice pondered, knitting a scarf by hand.

"Yes. He wants Seeker." Marlene confirmed, eyes focused on the pages.

"Is he any good?" Dorcas asked, flipping through a copy of _Witch Weekly_.

"He's been flying since he was four. I would say he's decent."

"Let's hope so McKinnon," she half smiled, looking up at her friend. Lily looked to Mitchell McKinnon who was not far off with his group of third year friends.

"Hello girls!" someone greeted as they passed by. The five attended to the source.

"Hi Amy!" Alice and Dorcas replied as they watched Amy Dunesfield walk away from them, headed towards the back of the room. (She had come from the girls' dormitories).

"She's really sweet..." Marlene noted as they continued to mark her progress through the common room.

"Yeah, she's pretty wicked." Dorcas confirmed, going back to her magazine. Amy was a 17 year old witch with dark brown hair and a cute face.

"I think she should have been Head Girl this year." Mary commented.

"She said prefect was enough—she didn't want the responsibility of Head Girl." Lily reported. Alice then intook breath.

"What?" Mary inquired.

"She's going towards the boys—towards James!" They all looked.

"And?" Dorcas prompted.

"D'you think she still fancies him?" Marlene smiled.

"Yes, what if she wants to go back out again?" Alice wondered, grinning. Dorcas surveyed Amy draw near the Marauders and then said:

"I doubt it, hopeless romantic twins. They're just on good terms; their break up was mutual."

"Why did they break up anyway?" Mary wondered, gazing at her tome. Lily peered at Dorcas as well, surprised she had not shouted out an answer like, 'Because she realized what a bloody troll he is'; the red head actually wanted to hear the response.

"James said they both had gotten too busy for each other," the Meadowes girl shrugged, "Decided to end it."

"That, among other reasons…" Marlene stated, smiling slyly and looking at Lily. Alice and Mary giggled, while Lily looked at them defiantly and somewhat taken aback.

"Hi James!..." Amy sang when she approached the seated sixth years, hands behind her back.

"Amy?" he answered brightly, arms unfolding from across his abdomen and eyes quitting their roaming.

"The one and only! 'Lo Remus, Peter—all right?"

"Fine, thanks." Remus responded kindly. The Pettigrew boy nodded in agreement.

"That's good. So, can I talk to you for a minute James?" the seventh year witch inquired.

"Of course," he replied, getting up from his chair and following her a few feet away. Peter looked expectedly at Remus, half grinning.

"Dunno." Remus responded, an eyebrow quirked.

"So how was your summer?" James asked when they were in their own spot.

"It was fun! I got to visit family living in the States and see an actual Quodpot match." Amy reported.

"Really? How was it?"

"Good… but it can't compare to Quidditch!"

"Thought so," he laughed proudly.

"So I see you're captain now," she remarked, smiling.

"Yes."

"Well deserved, I think. Merlin knows you've spent most of your Hogwarts career on that pitch!"

"Only half!" James jested.

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know ahead of time that you'll most likely see me at Gryffindor's tryouts." Amy noted cheerfully. His mouth dropped open.

"You _play_?!"

"On occasion."

"But you… you never mentioned, while we were dating, that you!—" he started, shocked.

"I didn't think it was too important. Besides, there were no open spots and you were enough of the Quidditch star for the both of us!" Amy finished, smiling.

"Wow. Well… I-I guess I'll—"

"See me on the pitch! Later James!" She waved quickly and then left him to search for her friends, while he conintued to attempt to process the fact that he had not known his ex-girlfriend played the sport he loved.

Shaking his head, James went back to join his own friends, who would no doubt want to know what Amy had said to him.

* * *

A/N: So I think I'll go and name the chapters next week... yeah, sounds good...


	8. Retaliation

A/N: I'm getting excited! You reviewers are really seeming to like my story; that makes me happy. To _sums96_, I wanted to reply to your question about more Lily/James action. Don't hate me for my answer okay?, lol! More will come in later chapters but since I am trying to portray a realistic view of how their relationship progressed, things are unfortunately going to be slower in nature. If it gives you hope though, they will become friends during sixth year! I'm sorry :/

* * *

**Chapter 8**

The following night brought the Gryffindor sixth years their first set of rounds for the year, and Lily and Remus left to begin them at nine o'clock. Peter and James sat in their dormitory completing some homework and Sirius was missing in action; in actuality, he was roaming the castle with Fiona Etherton for the second evening in a row. Two minutes before curfew (which was ten o'clock), he came strolling into the room with his hands in his pockets and whistling.

"Saw Moony and Evans after leaving Fiona to her common room." Sirius remarked.

"You were _in_ the Ravenclaw common room?" Peter questioned.

"No—it's too soon to go there." They all knew, however, that the eldest Black son _had_ been in that room before when he had been seeing a Ravenclaw girl for about five weeks during the start of fifth year. (Sirius had also seen the Hufflepuff common room, compliments of fourth year).

"So have you snogged her yet?" James pondered, scratching out something with his quill.

"Of course not! I'm still getting to know her. I have integrity!" his best friend insisted, placing a hand on his chest dramatically. He was answered by a dubious snort.

"Besides, third time's a charm!," Sirius added quickly, smiling a bit, "We're meeting again Saturday!" He kicked his shoes off and one of them hit Frank's bottle of ink that James was currently borrowing.

"Oy!" he exclaimed, watching the liquid begin to stain his blanket.

"That's why you shouldn't do homework in bed Jamesy!" Sirius noted happily.

"Clean it or I'll clean you the way I did Snivelly down at the lake." James demanded, wand pointed.

"Ho _ho_! Yes sir!"

"I'm surprised the Slytherins haven't tried to get us back for the Welcoming stunt," Peter stated thoughtfully, slowly, watching their interaction, "They always try to make sure they repay us… and they knew it was us."

"Of course they did," Sirius responded, flicking his wand and the ink stain disappearing, "So they haven't retaliated? It's better for them they haven't."

"I personally think the pus improved their appearance and odor!" James offered. Their door was then pushed open and Frank walked in, smiling at them.

"What's going on in here?" he asked, crossing the room.

"James owes you a new bottle of ink," revealed Sirius as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Wanker!" the Potter boy shouted gaping, half amused and half angry.

At breakfast on Friday morning Dorcas sat closer to the boys so she could talk about rumored Quidditch potentials with James. When she mentioned Mitchell McKinnon he seemed a little surprised but also eager to see him fly. Lily observed their conversation for a short instance and was quite pleased—Potter had not truly spoken to or approached her since the first day of the term and it was a welcomed reprieve from his normal behavior. She wondered how long it would last… and if he had taken their last meeting to heart that much.

"Don't forget our bet, Potter." Sirius commented as they walked into their first class: Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I haven't." James replied confidently, though in all honesty he had for the most part.

"All right. Though, I mean, the week is over and you have no detentions yet."

"Neither do you." Remus pointed out, sitting down besides James at a table.

"Don't I?" Sirius smirked, plopping down in front of them and next to Peter. The latter looked back at his two friends questioningly.

"Do you?" Peter inquired. Sirius merely chuckled in return.

"Okay students!," their professor proclaimed when the class had begun, "We're going to quickly finish up our review of dark creatures before turning completely to nonverbal spells." There was a small amount of murmurs of anticipation, though a couple of the pupils, like Snape, looked unimpressed—they had taught themselves nonverbal spells.

"Let's see… right. Last two then," Professor Thorne started, consulting her notes. She was quite young (in her late twenties) and their sixth Defense teacher, though she seemed competent, "A kelpie. Can anyone tell me what it is?" Several hands shot into the air.

"Okay—Ms. Evans?" she prompted.

"A water demon, found in British waters. They're carnivores." Lily stated. James found that his body constricted momentarily at the sound of her voice. He had to keep himself from turning to look at her; if getting over her were to work, he had to be committed.

"Correct. What else? Ms. McKinnon?"

"Muggles view one of them as, they call it, the Loch Ness Monster. They actually look like horses but can shape shift." Marlene said.

"Very good." Thorne told her.

"Exactly, so be careful Rosier because I think you're sitting next to one and he looks positively ravenous!" Sirius interjected audibly. Snape, who was Rosier's desk partner, clenched his jaw tightly and glared hatefully as much of the class laughed.

"_Thank_ you, Mr. Black!" the professor testily said, frowning disapprovingly at him. He shrugged, smiling, "Moving on to the last creature—a jarvey." Hands rose into the air once again.

"Mr. Dawes?"

"They're found in Britain and North America, and live underground," a Hufflepuff responded.

"You forgot what they are, genius," sneered Snape, "A large, talking ferret basically." Dawes blushed as Alice peered at Snape reproachfully.

"Not very dark though, are they Professor?" Avery smugly pondered, leaning back in his seat with crossed arms. Thorne gazed back at him and answered, unflinchingly:

"There are more dangerous creatures, yes, but they are covered nonetheless."

"Professor? Do they look something like this?" Sirius asked, pointing his wand at Avery evenly. In the next moment the Slyherin's human head had been replaced with a furry ferret's head, and the animal appeared stunned.

It only took a second before the young wizards and witches began roaring with deafening laughter. The Slytherins all jumped up, outraged and with poised wands, and Thorne ran from behind her desk as Avery squeaked shrilly.

"Black!!," she yelled, sharply, "Change him BACK!"

"Fine!" Sirius sighed over the noise, throwing his hands up. He raised his wand and did a complicated wrist flick—Avery's head went back to normal, though he was frantically feeling it with his hands and his eyes were round.

"You four—sit _down!_," Thorne ordered, pointing to the Slytherins. There was still a lot of laughter as she rounded on Sirius, "You: Black! Detention, Sunday, all day! Nine am!"

The wide smirk on Sirius' face faltered for just a moment. He had achieved his goal of getting detention, but he had not woken on a Sunday morning before ten o'clock since second year. James, who was trying to regain his breath from laughing so much, looked at his best friend shrewdly. So he had done it just to ensure a detention!...

"Time for today's lesson! The start of nonverbal spells! Pair up with the person you're sitting next to! Wait for my instructions!" the professor commanded roughly, staring at Sirius with apparent anger. The students did as they were told, quieting down since they could detect the bite in Thorne's voice.

When the class ended, the professor watched all of them go with appraising eyes.

"You _really_ know how to put a show on Sirius!" Dorcas congratulated when they were in the halls, headed for Transfiguration with McGonagall.

"If I ever needed a camera, that was the time!" Frank lamented. James nodded in agreement, grinning.

"You don't think it was excessive?" Mary pondered.

"Nope!" Sirius grinned.

"It was great," snorted Peter, chuckling. Remus smiled.

"McGonagall's sure to hear about this from Thorne." Marlene observed, looking at Sirius.

"Probably. But McGonagall secretly loves me! She'll go easy on me if anything." Sirius asserted.

"And if she doesn't?"

"It will have been worth it." Marlene gave a small smile in response to his large, disarming one.

"I hope it was, Sirius Black!" a female voice interposed. It belonged to Fiona Etherton and her best friend Michelle was by her side. (They had been in the classroom as well).

"I mean, yes—it was funny to see that prat as a ferret. Better suited him, I think," Fiona confessed, walking towards them briskly and gesturing with her hand, "But detention _all_ day Sunday? And what if she would have said Saturday?"

"But she didn't!" Sirius said nonchalantly, smiling arrogantly as if this would be enough for her. When she threw him a look and continued walking, he trotted after her after winking at his friends.

"You can't deny the excellent Transfiguration work!" he contended, arms out.

Marlene had stopped walking when Fiona first appeared, surprised by her presence. However, after glancing briefly at Lily, she commenced walking once more ahead of the others in order to get to Transfiguration. Alice and Mary sped their pace up to keep up with her.

"So what do you think of Thorne?" another female voice chirped at James' right. He started slightly, stopping and turning. It was Michelle Parks. Of course—her friend had gone, hadn't she? The blonde was smiling pleasantly, holding her book to her lower chest.

"Michelle—hey," he greeted, right hand going subconsciously to his black hair. He caught Remus' eye, letting him know he was not going to walk with the retinue.

"Black knows how to keep things lively, doesn't he?" she noted.

"That he does." James chuckled. They began walking slowly.

"Do you think Thorne will make it past the year mark?" Michelle wondered.

"Definitely not. The post's cursed!"

"I expect she'll have it out for Sirius now. She's young but doesn't seem to be the type to cross."

"I expect," he half smiled, "She seems decent. Too bad she doesn't really give out House points though, otherwise Gryffindor would make a killing!"

"The last time I checked, _Ravenclaw_ was the wisest House!" quipped Michelle. He gave a short, robust laugh.

"Not too modest though, is it?"

"I think that's Hufflepuff," she giggled.

"So, erm, Michelle?," James started, glancing at her, "We've never really… spoken, in the past five years."

"Oh! Well, n-no! We haven't…," the Ravenclaw acknowledged, cheeks turning a bit pink, "But, well, _everyone_ knows who you are, and your friends. You lot are like legends in the making!"

"That is the goal!" he joked.

"And, well… I've always wanted to talk to you—since like fourth year." Michelle announced, the pink becoming more evident.

"Why didn't you just do it then?" James marveled, smiling at her.

"I didn't think you would've noticed me honestly," she admitted, grinning and fiddling with her book, "James Potter, Mr. _Cool_…"

He looked ahead at the backs of his friends and the remaining girls, a phantom grin on his face. He shrugged.

After lunch the sixth year students had a round of double Potions, but since Peter, Dorcas, Remus and Mary were not enrolled in the class, they got to avoid the dungeons. Mary trounced off to Arithmancy as Peter and Dorcas had to deal with double Divination; Remus got two free periods in a row.

"Sodding git." Sirius muttered when Remus waved goodbye to them merrily.

In Potions, Slughorn revealed that they would initiate creating a Euphoria Elixir that session.

"You will turn to page 109 in your books to find the directions and necessary ingredients, which are in the back like usual. It will take you two sessions to complete, though some of you I'm sure may finish earlier!," the professor explained, beaming at Lily and a distracted Snape, "When they are done, I will determine the most accurately concocted and that person will receive a prize! You may begin!"

The students began to move about the room in order to collect the ingredients. The Slytherins, minus Mulciber, sat in a cluster whispering mutinously amongst themselves, quite oblivious, or indifferent, to the others. It had been clear since Defense that they were irresolutely livid with Sirius (and thereby all four Marauders by association), but they had yet to retaliate.

"We're bottling some of this when it's done," Sirius remarked to James, standing up, "Slip it in Moony's drink, get Happy Remus. He never comes around enough."

"Oh, I concur Padfoot!" came the reply.

"I'll get everything then."

"Right. Thanks."

Sirius followed Frank and Alice to the storage closets as James flipped to page 109 and placed his cauldron in front of him.

"Now now boys—let's get started! Can't have _my_ students behind!" Slughorn jovially told the Slytherin males, waving them apart with his hands.

They broke up and Severus, who was already turned to the correct page, was the first out of his chair to get the materials, or so it seemed.

"You really think you can do just anything you please." Snape told James in a low voice, approaching his desk and playing silkily with his wand. He was not looking at the captain and hung back in the ingredient line so that it was obvious he was waiting but so he could also speak without appearing suspicious.

"Excuse me?" said James, glowering at him.

"The jarvey. Avery."

"I'm sorry, but I had no part in that wonderful display," the Gryffindor laughed harshly, eyes on his book once more.

"No, just that prank on my House the first day!" Snape spat, now glaring at his foe. James returned the intense gaze full of loathing but said nothing, though he wanted to hex the Slytherin very much. His hazel eyes were beginning to darken.

"But… you will get everything you deserve, Potter—some of it sooner than anticipated," the other teenager assured, his voice becoming low and dangerous again.

"Your threats are meaningless Snape!" James snapped.

"Oh, they're not threats—they're promises!"

Snape then noticed that Lily and Marlene, deep in conversation, were strolling towards him to join the line of students. He glanced at James one last time, smirking eerily, before moving up and past the Quidditch captain's desk.

"Overgrown bat," mumbled James, scowling at his book.

Slughorn had been right in that no one finished the elixir, but Snape had made the most progress and was seen reading and writing in his book profusely. When it was time for dinner the Gryffindor boys left Peter in the common room to complete a letter to his mother; he would rejoin them when he had gone to the Owlery.

"First weekend of the term!," sighed James, satisfied, as he sat down, "I'm flying tomorrow, first chance."

"Let's go into Hogsmeade as well, in the evening. Butterbeer sounds great," added Sirius.

"What about homework? McGonagall gave us that essay to do before Monday."

"That's what Sunday is for!" James noted, putting shepherd's pie on his plate.

"Well, then when are _you_ going to do it Sirius? You have detention Sunday."

"I'll manage fine," he responded, picking up corn on the cob, "I've done so up to this point."

Halfway through the meal, Frank asked the three of them where their fourth member was. They stopped mid-laugh, suddenly peering around for Peter. He was still gone? They knew it did not take that long to finish and send a letter….

"Maybe it came out longer than he expected." James postulated when they were done eating and preparing to depart the hall.

"He's lucky we know where the kitchens are," remarked Sirius, "Missing whole dinners… the nerve."

Outside the Great Hall, a significantly large group of kids was buzzing around the staircase and blocking all ways to ascend it.

"They're called stairs—you climb them!" Sirius shouted when they were halted by the crowd, irritated.

"Up there!" a nearby third year instructed him, pointing to a high spot above. They looked to it and all gasped loudly.

"Merlin!" cried Remus as Sirius swore. Peter was suspended in the air with arms and legs pointed out like a star, and his face was covered with so many hideous boils it was hard to discern where his nose and eyes were.

"What? You lot can't go for help?!" James barked as they forced their way through their peers hurriedly.

"Prefect! Prefect coming through—_move_!" Remus demanded.

"Some have tried to get him down. They couldn't!" a fifth year clarified.

When they had gotten to the bottom of the staircase, all three pointed their wands and attempted to perform the countercurse for the levitation spell. After a few times they were unsuccessful; Peter's entire frame seemed to be immobile, including his eyes and mouth.

"Shite! What's the countercurse! What's got him up there?" Sirius pondered. He shook his wand, frustrated, as if it were not working properly.

"I'm getting a professor." Remus alerted, shaking his head and veering off to the left.

Cruel laughter was then heard from a cluster to the right of them, and when James and Sirius looked they saw Regulus at the forefront of some younger Slytherins. He was mimicking the look on Peter's face and the others were laughing.

"How do you get him down?" Sirius asked gruffly, advancing on his brother. Regulus halted his impression and stared at his sibling, an icy fire in his eyes.

"How the hell would I know?" he responded curtly.

"What's the countercurse Regulus?!"

"I don't know! I didn't put him up there!," Regulus shot back, fists balled. However, in the next instance he was leering gladly, "Pettigrew's your friend—_you_ figure it out."

"Oh heavens!" came McGonagall's voice. Everyone turned and saw the professor approaching alongside Remus and Flitwick.

"How long has he been like this?" the Animagus questioned.

"We don't know. Awhile," someone told her, "He was found like this."

"Filius?"

"Of course, Minerva." Flitwick said. He raised his wand at Peter and moved his hand. Nothing happened. His moustache bristled and he tried another silent spell—this time Peter came down slowly. Some of the students cheered.

"Hospital Wing boys." McGonagall told the Marauders. They nodded, knowing that was the case. James and Remus aided their friend in walking, even though his legs were functioning; it was his face that continued to be oddly still. Sirius brought up the rear and gave his brother one last warning, dirty look. Regulus returned it.

Madam Pomfrey did not allow them to stay for any time, really. The dropped him off to the shocked nurse and she shooed them out so she could figure out what to do. She told them they could come back in the morning.

"Is Peter going to be all right? Could he talk?," Marlene inquired worriedly, when they trudged into the Gryffindor common room later, "Did he say what happened?"

"Yeah, who did it?" Dorcas added, looking at them.

"No idea! He couldn't move anything really, including his mouth. He should be fine by morning." James explained, sliding into an armchair.

"Oh, that's good!" said Alice, leaning against Frank.

"I'll tell you who did it though," Sirius offered sourly, "Bloody Slytherins. Who else?" No one said anything because they all knew he was most likely right. Lily briefly studied the three Marauders from her position on a semi-distant sofa next to Mary, feeling badly for the absent one. That had undoubtedly been the work of snakes….

Sirius, Remus and James went to visit Peter at ten o'clock in the morning on Saturday, sneaking three éclairs for him. They found him awake and disgruntled, able to move all of his body parts but with traces of the boils.

"I can't leave until the evening. She wants all of the marks on my face gone before she releases me," was the first thing out of his mouth, in a grumpy fashion.

"Oh, tough luck mate! We were going to go to Hogsmeade." Sirius noted.

"You can wait 'til I get out!" Peter reasoned, sitting straight up and looking at them imploringly.

" 'Course we will," James said, "Here—we brought you something from breakfast." He furtively presented the éclairs to Peter who took them happily, replying:

"Thanks mates! I'll sneak them when Pomfrey's in her office."

"So what happened Wormtail?" Remus asked, studying him.

"I was attacked," he answered, grimacing astutely, "Compliments of the Slytherins." The last part of his sentence had come out sounding notably sad.

"Surprise surprise." Sirius dryly stated.

"Snape and Mulciber did most of the work. Rosier and Avery stood back laughing, and the other sixth year—Gates—was the lookout. They got me from behind while I was walking to dinner."

"Their favorite way to fight." James grumbled, shaking his head.

"It's obviously low of them and we have the right to be angry, but you all know what I think, right?" Remus questioned, sounding reticent.

"No hitting them back, of course." Sirius resentfully noted.

"Only because we got them first, technically."

They left Peter after twenty minutes and discussed what to do next on their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Flying." James bluntly said.

"Can we get _some_ homework done today? Two hours, maximum—that's all I ask!," Remus inquired, "I don't want to drown in homework all weekend."

"_You_ can do two hours worth!" Sirius pointed out.

"You two agreed to it last night!"

"When?!"

"Right before we went to sleep! I brought up going to the library for a little while to get some of it out of the way and you both consented." Remus argued.

"We were horribly distraught over Peter, deeply concerned about his well being! You could've gotten a 'yes' for practically any question. No, Moony—our minds weren't in the correct state!" James announced.

"We were worried, yes. But let's not take it there," the prefect flatly remarked, staring at him.

"Okay okay!," Sirius began, chuckling slightly, "So we go to the library to shut Remus up and get done a little before one. Then we go flying—"

"For two hours as well!" James added.

"And which I will count myself out of." Remus stated.

"You forfeit flying, I forfeit homework."

"Do that for a couple of hours," Sirius continued, smiling, "Eat dinner, Peter had better be out by then, take a nice trip to Hogsmeade, come back and _I_ am set to meet Fiona!"

"Very good, Mr. Black! Everyone is happy," grinned James.

Madam Pince was certainly less than happy to see the three Gryffindor boys waltz into her library, school bags hanging on their shoulders.

"You'd better behave yourselves!," she hissed at them, fingers clutching a book, "One slip up and I'll have the headmaster in here faster than a hungry basilisk!"

"Of course—no problems from us!" James promised, winking at her as they walked by.

"She's probably related to a whole clan of basilisks." Sirius muttered.

They found a table near one of the long, large windows of the room and claimed it, taking out their Transfiguration essays. They kept their word and did nothing distracting, loud or magic involved, which was rather unusual of them; of course, they were reminded by Remus of a very possible lifetime library ban posited by Pince during their last visit. At a quarter to one, Sirius and James hastily threw their belongings back into their bags and announced that homework time was over.

"I'll leave here at one." Remus told them, quill scratching away.

"If you're trying to skive out on this…" started Sirius.

"No, I'm not. I just want to finish a little more."

"Fine. We'll see you in a bit, werewolf." James said, sounding a bit skeptical.

"Yes you will James." Remus half smiled.

The two best friends retrieved their broomsticks from their dormitory and then headed out on the green, empty Quidditch pitch. Students were milling about on the grounds but no one was inhabiting the field, for which James was grateful.

"I've missed you!," he exclaimed, dropping to his knees and speaking to the grass.

"You start snogging the ground Prongs and I'm gone. Reminds me way too much of Kreacher!" Sirius shuddered. James stood up, a combination of a smirk and a grin on his thin face.

"Yeah, I'll spare you I think," he snickered, "Race around the goals?"

"Sounds lovely," the other responded, twirling his broom before mounting it.

More than twenty minutes had passed and noises from the Quidditch pitch could not be ignored, though it was mainly whooping and laughing.

"How could two people make all that noise on their own?" Mary pondered, sitting cross legged on the grass below the deserted bench. She and all of the others were on the ground, either lying down or sitting, albeit one: Dorcas. She was standing and staring off in the direction of the pitch, and had been for about two minutes.

"They have the right idea! I could go for a good fly right now…" she commented.

"If you want to join them Dorcas just go get your broom! Standing won't help much." Lily lightly laughed.

"I'm trying to see who they are!," the Meadowes girl reported airily, "Oh! That one just did a—_oh_! Hel_lo_ Dorcas! You couldn't see it sooner?!"

"Uh…" Marlene chuckled uncertainly, looking at the petite witch.

"It's James and Sirius!" Dorcas said amused, rolling her eyes and plopping down finally.

"That explains the noise!"

"Couldn't help but notice Lily, but Potter has left you alone these past few days!" Mary said.

"Yes, he's never done this," the red head confirmed, "It's refreshing!"

"Did you scare him off in any way?" Dorcas asked, giving a sly smile.

"No!" Lily laughed, squinting her eyes. Potter had in fact ceased any form of communication with her after Charms on the first day of classes, but it was not because she had said anything harsh or "scary" to him during that interlude. Nothing she had ever said before had fazed him so there would be no difference now! There was another reason to explain his behavior, totally unrelated to her, and she had no right to question it if it was doing her good.

"Maybe he'll stick with it, as I'm sure you hope he will." Marlene observed, looking at her Housemates fly.

"That would be wonderful," nodded the Muggleborn, looking at the grass.

"Lupin lied," Sirius announced, back in the sky, "It's been thirty minutes and he has yet to show his face!"

"Should I fly by the library and see if he's still there?" offered James, checking his watch.

"Sure."

The Chaser then sped off as his best friend hovered in the air, entertaining himself with the picture of James flying by the library's windows looking for Remus to the amusement of the students studying. He came back shortly afterward with the report that their friend was not in there, and they very reluctantly returned to the ground to go search for him.

"Maybe he's in the Room—locked himself away so he can do all the homework he wants without us interfering." Sirius hypothesized as they began their walk back to the castle, referring to the room of Requirement for which they did not know the name and therefore titled "the Room".

"All I know is he's getting a Sticking Charm to the broom." James threatened.

Consequently, they did not have to go very far before they found Remus: he was hurrying towards them near the Herbology greenhouses.

"Before you say anything, I had a run in with the Slytherins!" he clarified, looking very perturbed.

"You too?!" exclaimed James.

"Yeah, all but Rosier."

"Did they—" commenced Sirius.

"They didn't do anything. Tried to intimidate me, I guess. Said nasty things, that's all," Remus explained, shaking his head, "Mentioned the prank."

"So this _is_ about that, then." James noted.

"Yep."

"That just means we humiliated them more than we thought!" Sirius proclaimed, satisfied, as they went back to the pitch.

On their way to dinner later that day, Rosier and Gates "accidentally" bumped into Remus.

"So sorry Lupin! Our fault!" Rosier apologized, eyes shining with dim delight and not a trace of remorse in his voice. The Marauders watched the two Slytherins stroll into the Great Hall ahead of them, Gates laughing.

"Whatever," sighed Remus.

When the three entered the dining hall, shouts of laughter erupted from the snake table at their presence. As the other tables peered at them curiously, the Ravenclaws were next to begin laughing loudly as well.

"What?" Sirius wondered as the three whirled around to gawk at the two chortling Houses. The badgers then began shouting in mirth, realizing what the source of the humor was; the Marauders, on the other hand, were at a complete loss as to what was so funny about them. As James swiftly turned to his House, expecting the lions to complete the laugh fest, he noticed something wildly out of place that was undeniably the cause of all the attention: Remus had a tail. It was furry, brown, not very long and unbeknownst to the owner.

"Remus," James steely stated, gripping his upper arm, "You have a tail."

"What?!" he responded, looking at James with utter confusion. Sirius quickly surveyed the situation at the odd claim and saw that it was indeed true, and jetting out of his jeans.

"Yeah, can't argue with that. It's certainly there!" Sirius agreed.

"What the _hell_!" a growing incensed Remus hissed, eyes flashing.

"I'm betting that 'bump' with Rosier was more intentional than we thought!"

"Forgo dinner, shall we?" James commented, glancing around at the other students. Remus then rapidly turned around and sped out of the Great Hall, his face reddening, and was followed by his two friends amid louder laughter at their departure.

They sought isolation in their dormitory and tried every relevant spell to make the tail disappear, but all to no avail.

"What kind of sodding magic are they using?!," demanded Sirius, exasperated, "They clearly don't want _us_ fixing anything!"

"You probably need a potion, mate." James mentioned.

"I think so too." Remus answered, frowning immensely and peering back at it. He then let out a very frustrated sigh.

"This is war." Sirius darkly said.

"They'll have a hell of a time getting you and me, Padfoot." James remarked, sounding ready for it.

"Let's just go to the Hospital Wing! There's no way around it," the Lupin boy told them, grumbling the last statement and snatching his wand up.

Needless to say, Peter was thoroughly shocked to see his best friends arrive and tell him that Remus would be taking his place. He then saw the tail and received the news that it had been their rivals' doing.

"Do I have to stay overnight? Can't I just have a quick potion?" Remus half begged the nurse after she had inspected his condition.

"Mmm… perhaps. We'll see what I can whip up, what works," Pomfrey starkly said, "But honestly—the things you kids do to one another! And I see _you_ four more than is necessary!..." She continued harping about the Hogwarts students as she bustled away.

"See you later then—hopefully before the morning comes." Remus hailed wearily. They bid him farewell and left the infirmary with Peter.

"I'm assuming Hogsmeade is postponed," he noted.

"Definitely," relayed James, knowing the desire to go had been distinguished in light of the tail.

"Kitchens for food, I suggest. Don't exactly feel like going back to the Great Hall." Sirius verbalized.

"Too right."

"Maybe I should have the elves make something special for Fiona, get her to believe I'm this charmingly considerate bloke…"

"Yeah, I'm sure that will last for… two weeks." Peter joked. James snorted with appreciative pleasure.

"You know Wormy, for a recently repaired man, you're oddly brave!" Sirius warned, grinning nonetheless.

Remus got his wish and did not have to stay in the Hospital Wing. He returned shortly after Sirius had gone to meet Fiona (who planned on walking the moonlit grounds), tail-free, and was questioned about what had occurred by his Housemates. He replied that the Slytherins had been behind it and there was not much more to say.

Sirius was absent until midnight and had borrowed the Invisibility Cloak to get back in without consequence, in case he were to come across forces such as Filch and his cat. He found his friends lounging in the common room with three other seventh years on the other side of the room.

"Not tired?" he asked vivaciously.

"Nah. And Frank is sleeping—didn't want to wake him." James responded, taking up space on an entire sofa.

"Well, my night was smashing!"

"Oh yeah?" the Potter boy grinned.

"Yes. And she loved the sweet!" This was directed at Peter.

"So was the third time a charm?" Remus pondered.

"That it was!," Sirius smiled wickedly, "For 15 minutes in the Astronomy Tower!"

"Your needs have been met."

"So is that it with her then?" Peter inquired, smiling faintly.

"No." Sirius said.

"But with other girls—"

"It was in the past; they have nothing to do with Etherton! Fiona's cool, and hey, I can talk Quidditch with her!"

"Could she possibly be the first girlfriend of Sirius Black?!" James marveled.

"Whoa! Let's not jump to such rash conclusions!" Sirius ordered, holding his hands up. The other three laughed.

"Um, excuse me!" a voice piped in, sounding strangely timid. The four teenagers turned to see Marlene standing behind Sirius in her pajamas, arms behind her back. How long had she been there? They surely had not noticed her….

"Oh, Marlene!" Remus greeted.

"What's up McKinnon?" James added, taken aback.

"I, er, I-I left a book down here. I came to get it! It's… it's under your chair, Peter," she revealed.

"Oh—right!" Peter said, ducking down to retrieve it.

"All right Marlene?" Sirius asked. She glanced at him then watched Peter, giving a faulty smile.

"Yes. Just… want my book." Marlene mentioned. Peter handed the book over and the witch thanked him.

"Well g'night!" she hailed. Her ponytail flew as she quickly turned to go to the girls' dormitories. James had a fleeting impulse to shout after her 'Tell Evans I said sweet dreams!', but stifled it.

Sunday brought Sirius' detention with Thorne and he was unwillingly roused at 8:30 by an extremely persistent alarm clock (bewitched by Remus) to ensure he was not late. He left four slumbering roommates and promised James, who did not truly comprehend his voice, that he was going to have the longest running detention in the school's history. The others rolled out of bed roughly an hour later and had homework to look forward to, which did not exactly have them thrilled. Peter suggested they go visit Hagrid before being sucked into school work and Remus and James agreed, though they had to endure Peeve's taunts about Remus' tail on their way there.

Homework seemed to be the theme for Gryffindor students fifth year and up, which left the younger wizards to dread the work load of the impending years. The Marauders took up a table and began diligently working, having no idea they would be there until Sirius was done serving his detention. Peter needed help on a few assignments and the other two took the time out to do so, though by four o'clock their patience and will to do homework was virtually gone. They trudged on however and when it was time for dinner they all but ran for the portrait hole, desperate for a reprieve; conversely, they were back in an hour and faced with a few more hours of work.

At half past seven, Sirius arrived. His friends rejoiced, seeing it as another chance for a break, and hastily stood up to go meet him. The first thing James prepared to ask the Black boy was how long his punishment had turned out to be, and it was on the verge of his tongue until he took in Sirius' appearance.

"Bloody hell Sirius!" James yelled, eyes widening. Peter and Remus gasped.

From his eyes it was clear that Sirius was furious, in addition to his physical state. He had one, long gash on his left cheek and many smaller cuts covering the rest of his face; there was also a browning bruise on his lower right arm and he was gripping his wand.

"Did you duel Thorne?!" Peter stupidly questioned. Sirius glared at him then moved further into the room, attracting multiple stares and murmurs. His friends, bewildered, followed.

"Sirius—mate—what happened?" Remus tried as they traveled back to their table. He gave a harsh bark of laughter then answered, ceasing walking:

"Our friends the Slytherins!" There were cries of outrage and from more than just the Marauders: a group of their Housemates had discretely followed, and it included the other sixth years and Sirius' female admirers.

"You're joking," said James staring at him, though he knew full well it was the truth.

"Oh no! They decided to pay me a visit right when I had finished my detention, knowing I'd be coming from it. Four on one—I suppose Rosier didn't want to lose his badge!" Sirius explained with false cheer.

"Four on one?!" shouted an angry Dorcas, next to a Marlene covering her mouth with a hand.

"Sounds like them." Mary mumbled, frowning. Lily put a hand on her shoulder, knowing she was thinking of when they had attacked her.

"They made it terribly clear they did not appreciate being embarrassed in front of all of Hogwarts, and wanted to 'teach me where my place is'. They didn't bother with any theatrics like they did for Remus and Peter—they basically meant for me to _crawl_ to the Hospital Wing." Sirius relayed.

"They're targeting us individually." Peter commented, looking at Remus.

"Yes, they are. I think I gave them more than they expected though, for being one wizard. Gates was on the floor when they ran from hearing Filch's footsteps, Mulciber was bleeding and _Snivelly_ was cradling the side of his greasy head!"

"They ran?" Frank wondered.

"Yeah—Filch heard all the noise and came to investigate. I was past Thorne's office when they found me so she didn't show up." Sirius noted.

"They really are cowards." James growled.

"What'd you tell Filch?" Remus asked, looking worried.

"That I fell down a flight of steps. He didn't believe me but I didn't give a niffler's fluffy arse."

"This is out of line! They mean to _hurt_ you four—all you did was pour slug pus on them!" Dorcas raged.

"Exactly," added Alice. Remus nodded as others vocally agreed; Lily gazed around at all of them, the memory of what she had told James flashing quickly in her mind. She had to admit—even though the Marauders' prank had been immature, it had not been dangerous.

"That's it! I can't take anymore—I don't care." James announced, moving forward.

"Whoa, James—what do you mean?" Frank inquired, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Dorcas is right! They've taken this to another level! I've had all three of my best mates ganged up on in a few days and—!"

"Trust me Prongs, I know you're right pissed. So am I!," interjected Sirius, stepping up, "But they haven't been caught for what they've done to us so there's no point in _you_ getting in trouble for getting them, because you know they will narc."

"Well said Sirius," acknowledged Remus.

"You'll want to be on your guard anyway, James—you're next!" Peter fretfully pointed out.

* * *

A/N: So I know I said I would name the chapters, and I will: probably on Monday, when I have time to do so. Kay bye!


	9. Once Upon a Brother

A/N: So if anyone is wondeirng how I come up with the magical creatures for this story, I have the _Fantastic Beasts_ (and _Quidditch Through the Ages_) book that JKR published in between her books. Does anyone remember those? Anyway, they have been a life saver and keep me accurate!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 9**

Sirius had refused to go to the Hospital Wing for his injuries, not wanting the nurse to see yet _another_ Marauder, and so he and his dorm mates used healing spells to fix the damage. They concocted an easy healing potion as well by using Peter's unused cauldron, but he, James and Frank flat out denied the owner and Remus in helping them create it, citing they were attempting to mend Sirius, not further harm him. It turned out that his detention had been ten hours, five of writing "I will not transform my classmates into jarveys" and five of sorting four decades worth of Defense notes compiled by the post's professors. He had planned on using his mirror to contact James, but Thorne had made him empty everything from his pockets except a quill.

"Sure, I may not ever be able to write again," informed Sirius, "But I hold the detention crown! Good luck beating ten hours Potter!"

Monday brought the beginning of the second week of classes and an alert James, conscious of the Slytherins' vendetta against him. Nothing happened, however, and he was left alone on Tuesday as well. McGonagall approached him on Wednesday morning before the start of her class and handed him a piece of parchment.

"Here you are Potter—the tryout list. I think a week is enough time for your Housemates to have decided if they want to go out for the team," she said.

"Thanks Professor," James replied. A curious Sirius snatched it away and began examining it, "I'm going to have them Saturday."

"Very well. Just have Mr. Lupin or Ms. Evans approve it and post it on the notice board." The professor then walked back to her desk.

"Two of them are rubbish—definite no's." Sirius reported.

"How do you know?" the captain wondered, leaning over to look at the list.

"This one tried out last year and was as bad as Peter is, remember?"

"Hey!" the Pettigrew boy interrupted, sitting behind them alongside Remus.

"And _this_ one!," continued Sirius, "Well… he still owes me three Galleons. I'll be sure to collect that day!"

James sniggered and reclaimed the parchment, rolling his eyes.

"I'm passing your essays that were due on Monday back to you," McGonagall revealed when the bell rang, "Exemplary job for some of you, a decent attempt for others, and a job not worthy of a second year, for a select few." There were snickers at this.

"Be aware that you are sixth years, and as such, I expect sixth year work!" she lectured as the essays soared through the air to their respective owners.

"An 'O', of course!" sighed James, glancing his over. Peter peered at Remus' 'O' paper and his face fell with a tiny grimace, looking back to his 'A'.

"It's only the first." Remus assured him.

"An 'E', Padfoot?" James awed, as though the mark offended him. He and Sirius were the best students at Transfiguration in their year, and more likely than not in the entire school, so they always received the highest grades.

"I had detention all day Sunday—lacked enough time to put more effort into it." Sirius remarked a bit roughly, examining the report. After a moment he shrugged and stowed it in his bag as McGonagall called for the attention of the class once more, informing it of its next practical assignment.

Later that day after all classes had concluded and dinner had yet to commence, James handed Remus a flyer in Gryffindor Tower.

"Tryout notice! Approve and post please," the Potter boy stated, smiling. The prefect looked at it:

**Gryffindor Quidditch Team Tryouts:**

THIS SATURDAY! 10AM ON THE PITCH!

In need of Chaser (1) and Seeker (1, duh…)

Must have signed up with the Head of House and must show up to be considered for any position! (This may sound obvious but some people will surprise you)

Help bring the Cup back to its rightful House!

Help annihilate Slytherin during matches!

Under the last sentence was a poorly drawn snake that had been stomped on and was dead. Remus looked up at James.

"What? So the snake looks a bit crude! I'm not the greatest artist," the captain responded.

"I think it's brilliant mate!" Sirius complimented, peering at it.

"Why thank you Mr. Black!"

Remus shook his head, laughing somewhat, and then said:

"It's approved, then." He walked over to the notice board and pinned it on, then gave it a seal of approval with his wand; as soon as he turned around and left the board, students flocked to it to see what had been posted. James found the rest of the Quidditch team, the Keeper, two Beaters and Dorcas (second Chaser), to tell them they had to be at tryouts as well so they could have one practice round as the new unit.

"You're going to decide that day?" Kirby Welps, a fourth year Beater, questioned. James knew he was referring to Berkley's preference of waiting a few days to digest and mull over the players and their abilities.

"Yes. I want to get the team together without any delays because the sooner we start practicing, the better," he answered.

The next morning at breakfast, James took the time Sirius was arguing with Peter about how you _could_ tame a hippogriff and keep it as a pet and Remus was deep in the _Prophet_ to contemplate one or two things. The Slytherins had not attempted anything since bombarding Sirius on Sunday and James, for one, did not want to get lulled into a false sense of security. There was no peace when it came to those two sides—it was an ever raging battle. Even so, there was nothing he could really do because as he had been reminded, if he struck out first (in this instance) _he _would come across as the antagonist. Thinking about his rivals then led into thoughts about Lily, primarily because she had once been connected to his most bitter rival.

James had not intended to pull away from Lily entirely after the miniature confrontation on the first day of school, but…that is what it looked like he was doing. He had thought he would have gotten over the challenging disappointment in her voice and the reserved disdain for him by the end of that day, and he had… sort of. But that disappointment and disdain had been undoubtedly different this time, as if it had cut right to his core, reminding him it would never go away—and that had been too much. James had seriously contemplated his situation with Lily as a result, having discussed it some with Remus and Sirius, and with the help of the latter concluded that he indeed did need to stop trying so hard with her. He thought he would have been civil and polite to her based on the resolution (if not much less direct with her as well), but as it stood now he was not even overtly acknowledging her, let alone striving to be polite! Perhaps he was embarrassed by all of his failed, past endeavors with her and wanted to stop once and for all, realizing it was null, or perhaps like he had told his friends, the two of them would simply never get together so why bother any longer? Whatever the case, James was positive Lily would happily welcome the absence of his attention; she probably already was.

After their first class that morning, Charms, Sirius stayed behind for a bit with Fiona only to catch back up with his friends and let them know he would be spending the upcoming free period with her, so there was no need to wait for him to go to Herbology. The sixth years then split up to go to their second classes of the day: Sirius, James and Dorcas to Care, Remus, Frank, Peter and Alice to History, Mary to Ancient Runes, Marlene to Muggle Studies and Lily to her free period.

"So, Sirius, it's painfully obvious to me that you have taken a liking to Etherton." Dorcas slyly noted as they walked across the grounds, having come from Kettleburn's class.

"I don't deny it," he grinned confidently, "Are people starting to notice? What are they saying? No, wait—I already know! The girls, 'I wish I were in Fiona Etherton's place!', and the blokes, 'I wish _I_ were Sirius Black!'." James snorted loudly as Dorcas laughed unbelievingly.

"I think that's why some people think we're a bit full of ourselves, Padfoot!" his best friend commented.

"No one keeps _that_ close of a tab on your love life!... well, except those witches who are hopelessly devoted to you—I'm sure they think along those lines," she relayed, "And of course Ma—" Dorcas then abruptly quit speaking and looked at them sheepishly, as though she had caught herself just in time.

"What?" wondered Sirius, peering at her curiously.

"Nothing!" she answered, tucking loose hair behind her ear. Sirius looked to James as a voice behind them called:

"Oh, James!" The three stopped and turned to see Michelle ambling in their direction, waving. Sirius smirked at his friend knowingly.

" 'Lo Michelle," the Potter boy smiled at her when she approached.

"Hi," the Ravenclaw smiled in return, nodding to the other two, "Kettleburn had to help me find and put my Dugbog back in its cage. It nearly shredded his ankle! It was hiding among a pile of firewood near Hagrid's hut."

"Yeah, I spent a good amount of time thinking a piece of wood from the Forest was mine." James revealed.

"Wouldn't that be a glorious surprise for the Slytherins? They go to start a fire and the Dugbogs, very unhappy for being mistaken as fire food, let loose with their teeth?" fantasized Sirius. They all laughed.

"So, um, d'you mind if I walk with you back to the castle?" Michelle asked, looking at the Gryffindors (though her gaze was predominately on James).

" 'Course not," he replied.

"Dorcas! You never did finish telling me about those fascinating revelations of yours in Divination!" Sirius proclaimed suddenly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Er, what?" she started, caught off guard.

"Well go on—I'm listening!" He then led her off, walking briskly ahead of the other two. Dorcas peered back at James and Michelle once, appearing baffled. James shook his head, grinning; Sirius was anything but subtle.

"Why does Fiona like him?" he questioned good naturedly.

"Same reasons as you, I suppose." Michelle rationalized as they began strolling slowly.

"I doubt that—I've never once dreamed of snogging him!"

Michelle laughed.

"So do you have a free period next?" James pondered.

"Yes. And then Herbology, as you know since you're in it as well. I get to see you again," she poked.

"I know, what a lucky girl you are!" Michelle giggled and then inquired (after a very brief stint of silence):

"So what do you plan to do on the weekend?"

"Homework, I'm sure, though I must cause a little mischief to make up for it!," he explained, "Oh, and we have Quidditch tryouts Saturday morning."

"Do you really? Already?" Michelle wondered, looking at him.

"Yep. We're out two players and I wanted to find replacements pretty fast."

"We had tryouts last year and we still have all the members, so there's no need of course. But I'm sure you'll find terrific players!"

"I hope so," James contended. Something then suddenly struck him, "You know… you could come watch, if you wanted. Bring Fiona along? Sirius will definitely be there."

"Oh?" she responded brightly, wearing a flattering smile that brought out the smallest amount of pink in her cheeks.

"Sure! But I need your word that you're not a Ravenclaw spy, or a Slytherin spy who drank Polyjuice to impersonate Michelle!" he told her. Michelle laughed and then held up her hand.

"I solemnly swear, James," she vowed, smiling. He grinned mischievously in return, knowing she had no inkling of what her words meant to him.

"Perfect," he said.

Sirius was gone, as promised, during their period off and they headed to Herbology without bothering to wait, as promised. The boys were not expecting him to be in the greenhouses already when they arrived, but they were also not expecting him to stalk into the class session ten minutes late and wearing a stormy expression. (Fiona was behind him, looking anxious).

"You're late Mr. Black, Ms. Etherton." Professor Sprout pointed out.

"We're sorry professor! It was… completely unintentional!" the Ravenclaw hurried to explain. Sirius, on the other hand, did not even attempt to apologize; he marched over to where the Marauders were and immediately sat down, still looking sour. Fiona found her Housemates and took the empty spot next to Michelle, grimacing slightly.

As Sprout continued telling them about that day's lesson and plant, Peter leaned in to say something to Sirius but was cut off before he could get anything out.

"_Never_ remind me that I have a brother again," the Black boy commented in a low snarl, grabbing his goggles out of his bag. The other three all looked surreptitiously at one another, now knowing that something had _not_ gone wrong with Fiona and speculating how long this funk Sirius was in would last.

Fifteen minutes later when the students had begun handling that day's task, he was still stewing, having not said a word. Sirius worked diligently but his mind was totally elsewhere, raking through old memories and events involving Regulus, both pre-Hogwarts and after they were in. When had things taken such a drastic turn? When Sirius had gotten into Gryffindor no doubt, and then it had been cemented when Regulus was Sorted into the traditional Black family House; consequently, at a certain point Regulus had been… okay, even _after_ his older brother had been identified as a Gryffindor. What if… what if the Black brothers still had some form of a relationship, even if it never had been typical? It had been their own, and for some time, no matter how rapid, Regulus had taken into account what his brother had to say.

…

_Sirius dragged his trunk behind him, looking at the scarlet train before his eyes. The whistle had sounded not very long ago, alerting the students that it would be departing quite soon. The thirteen year old glanced over his right shoulder and when he noticed the person with him was not keeping up, he whipped around impatiently._

"_Regulus, we're gonna miss it! Come on!" he ordered._

"_Okay, okay!," his younger brother answered, turning away from his mother briefly, "Goodbye Mother, Father!"_

"_Oh, make us proud Regulus! We know you will! Slytherin will love you!" Walburga Black cooed, hugging him one last time. Sirius glared at his mother's head—how was she so certain he would be in Slytherin?_

"_Yes, write us soon son." Orion Black commented as his youngest grabbed his new trunk and hurried towards his sibling._

"_Sirius," Walburga stated sharply, straightening up and peering at her other son, "Look after your brother. Make sure he is taken care of. Do _not _allow him to consort with _your_ questionable friends! Do you understand me?" The third year did not respond but merely leered at his mother._

"_Answer your mother Sirius!" Mr. Black commanded, sounding menacing._

"_Yes!" he spat. He was glowered at one last time before his parents turned to leave._

"_Where are we going to sit?" Regulus pondered, standing near a carriage door and ceasing Sirius' thoughts of how big of gits his parents were._

"_With my mates," he replied evenly, stepping up and hauling his luggage onto the train._

"_But Mum said—" the eleven year old began._

"_What _Mother_ said is rubbish! She doesn't know them—they're brilliant." Sirius explained, grabbing his brother's trunk and pulling it in next. Regulus looked quite dubious about this but uttered nothing, stepping into the carriage._

_The Black boys searched the train for the compartment occupied by the Gryffindor third year boys and came upon it soon enough._

"_Thought you were going to miss the train Sirius!" James hailed, grinning, as the two stepped in._

"_Yeah, well, my dear parents couldn't say goodbye to little Regulus," he answered. His friends all looked to the eleven year old who stared back, appearing unsure but bold at the same time._

"_So this is Regulus, my brother," Sirius introduced, moving aside so they could get a better view of him, "Regulus, that's Remus, that's Peter and that's Frank. You know James."_

_Indeed he did know James. During that summer James had visited Sirius at Grimmauld Place for what should have been a week. The trip had been sufficiently uncomfortable what with Mrs. Black's constant rants about half breeds and Mudbloods, Mr. Black's not-so-subtle attempts at pushing Dark art on James, and Sirius' avoidance of his parents whenever possible. The Potter boy left early, apologizing to an understanding yet sullen Sirius, and Walburga noted, "If the ungrateful son of blood traitors wants to go home then so be it!" when he had gone._

_Regulus gave a small nod, eyes sweeping over them._

"_So, Regulus, are you excited about starting at Hogwarts?" Frank asked._

"_Yes. After seeing Sirius go two years ago…. Are you a pureblood?" he responded. The others, excluding James, all looked at one another briefly, highly alarmed._

"_Er—y-yes."_

"_Oh, okay." Regulus then picked a seat on James' bench and sat down. Peter got up and moved to the opposite bench so Sirius could sit with his best friend and brother._

"_Erm… so what House do you want?" Remus tried. Perhaps he would want to be with his brother—Sirius had never mentioned his brother being horrible like his parents…._

"_It'll be Slytherin, like everyone else—that's what Mum and Dad say," Regulus replied. He then glanced at Sirius, along with everyone else, "But… not getting it wouldn't be… terrible. I suppose like… Gryffindor, or something…"_

_Sirius felt an unexpected smile begin to form on his face and he hid it by shifting noisily in his seat._

"_You'd be in great company!" James bragged. His roommates laughed lightly and the younger Black boy half smiled, stealing one more furtive peek at his sibling._

_Regulus was not as boisterous as the other boys during the train ride and primarily observed them with mild amusement, but did interject when addressed or felt the thirteen year olds would accept it. As each hour passed, Sirius found himself become more aware of the fact that they would arrive to Hogwarts soon and his brother would finally be Sorted. He tried to overlook this without a care but he found that it did not work, and consequently made him feel… jittery. When the students pulled into the Hogsmeade station at last, Sirius bid Regulus a temporary farewell as he and his friends went to the carriages. _

"_I'll see you in the Great Hall then. Remember, the Hat… _knows_. You'll be fine," he explained._

"_Don't forget we told you Hagrid's harmless!" Peter called as the eleven year old followed the other first years. Sirius watched him go, a quizzical expression dominating his features._

"_Like you said—he'll be fine mate," assured James, clasping his friend's shoulder._

"_Your parents will be right cross if he gets anything other than Slytherin, won't they?" Frank inquired._

"_Cross isn't the word, Frank. But it'll be wonderful!" Sirius grinned._

_In a shorter amount of time than anticipated, the first years stood nervously in the front of the Great Hall with the staff and rest of the students all staring at them. Sirius' eyes were glued on his brother and he knew, just _knew_, that his seventh year cousin Narcissa and her horrid Head Boy boyfriend Lucius were also watching Regulus. Narcissa had approached Sirius right before he and his friends had climbed into their carriage, notifying him in a dangerously sweet voice that it had been rude of him to keep Regulus all to himself on the Express._

"_Aunt Walburga told you to let him visit, I do believe. I wanted to see dear Regulus and Lucius did too. He's very fond of your brother," she had commented. (Sirius had been conscious of his mother's order and had simply dismissed it, like he did with most everything she said). He told his cousin, right before he shut the vehicle's door in her pretty face, that she saw Regulus enough at family functions and that should be enough._

_When McGonagall called the first child's name to try on the Sorting Hat (Angela Adams), Sirius tensed: Regulus would be called very soon, unless for some odd reason every other new kid's surname began with an 'A'. _

"_Last year's song was better." Peter noted as Angela tripped up to the stool._

"_Unless you're going to write songs for the Hat Peter, shut it will you?" questioned Sirius, testily. Remus attempted to convey to Peter through covert looks that Sirius was merely on edge about his brother, but the endeavor was not successful._

"_Black, Regulus." McGonagall commanded. Sirius sat up straight as slight muttering began in the lion and snake Houses._

"_Black has a brother?" he heard Mary Macdonald whisper to Lily Evans. _

_Regulus walked quickly over to the single seat and had the magical hat placed upon his head. It was quiet while it deliberated for only the eleven year old to hear and Sirius' leg bounced impatiently as he peered at Regulus. _

_When the word 'Slytherin' was proclaimed vociferously and the students of that House cheered for their new addition, Sirius' limb ceased moving and his face became stony. His friends (and even other Housemates) gazed at him sadly and James seemed like he was struggling to decide whether to say something, but remained silent in the end. As Sirius viewed Regulus among his new peers, with Narcissa and Lucius at the forefront, he duly noted his parents would be ecstatic. Another Black as a Slytherin… so much for fragile hope. He caught his younger brother's eye as the next first year was addressed and saw that Regulus wore an indiscernible expression. _

…

So much for having a brother whom he liked, whom he could talk to, relate to. Perhaps it had once been that way, but now… what a waste. After about 40 minutes of mulling, Sirius sighed and left his heavy thoughts in his mind, becoming aware of his surroundings for the first time. The result was seeing James standing up and yelling, anxiety clearly on his countenance; he was moving around a lot and gripping something on this side of his abdomen. Remus and Peter were up as well, striving to aid him, and the professor was shouting directions at them. With a start, Sirius realized James' aggressive plant was clasped to his side and he instantly jumped up to help out his friends. As he half laughed, half demanded for his best friend to stop wriggling around so much, Sirius registered that he truly did not need Regulus; looking at the Marauders he was reminded that he _had_ brothers, and they were incredible.

The others found out at dinner that Sirius had run into Regulus on the way to Herbology and he had been consorting with a couple of seventh year Slytherins, with no apparent intention of going to his class. A nasty verbal exchange had followed and Fiona had been forced to remove Sirius from the situation before any hexes could be thrown.

* * *

On Thursday, Lily sat in a well sunlit courtyard after lunch, playing idly with her hair as she watched Dorcas and Marlene converse happily with other, upper level Gryffindors. It was fairly windy outside and the students of the castle had 20 minutes before their next classes began. She supposed that she would write to her parents over the weekend—it had been roughly two weeks since the start of term. Severus had not bothered to approach her at all since they stepped off the train and she was satisfied; he finally recognized they were done and most definitely had his Housemates to reinforce this. How interesting it was, Lily mused, that both Potter and Snape had fallen away from her around the same time. _I feel a little abandoned, _she joked.

"Erm—Lily?" a male voice posited behind her. She turned and saw Marcus Hamilton with a raised hand and shy smile. He was the sixth year Hufflepuff male prefect, an attractive blond wizard if not somewhat a tad _too_ skinny.

"Oh, hello Marcus!" the red head greeted. She got along well with him and had since they officially met one another the previous year.

"May I sit?" he pondered.

"Of course, you don't even have to ask." The Hufflepuff sat down next to her.

"So how are you?" Marcus asked.

"Oh I'm just fine. You?" Lily replied, looking at him.

"The same. I'm looking forward to finishing the elixir in Potions tomorrow—I plan on nicking some for myself! Drink it when I'm laboring over essays..."

She laughed. He was a noticeably funny person and his humor was often sardonic, which she liked, but many did not know this about him and wrote him off as prim and proper.

"You know now that I think about it, I haven't spoken to you since the train ride to Hogwarts. Where have you been?" the Muggleborn remarked.

"In hiding," he told her.

"In hiding?"

"Yes. On the lookout as well."

"For what?" Lily questioned, voice full of humor.

"Potter," revealed Marcus.

"Why?" came the response.

"Well, I wanted to be able to speak to you without losing, or growing, a body part. You of all people know he has a knack for jinxing blokes who approach you. 'Accidentally', I'm sure."

"Yes," she sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes and thinking of former instances. She, in turn, had been required to jinx James, shouting at him that his actions had been intentional and he was _not_ her boyfriend (nor would he ever be).

"But I figure it's safe now. I haven't spotted Potter tagging you really since school began, which is a good thing," he said.

"Is it that noticeable?" Lily pondered. The rest of Hogwarts was aware of it as well?

"Yeah. I myself am rejoicing!"

"And why is that, Marcus?" the witch pondered, smiling slightly.

"Well, besides the fact that you are painfully pretty," he initiated matter of factly, "It'd be rather hard for me to talk to a fellow prefect about official prefect business if I had to keep away from her." She could not hide the blush that overtook her cheeks and so she looked ahead, continuing to smile.

"Yes, _prefect_ business." Lily stated.

"Would you go with me for a walk around the grounds?" Marcus inquired.

"Is it prefect related?" she quipped, looking at him again.

"Oh, most definitely!" he grinned.

That night was the Gryffindor prefect's allotted time for rounds, so Lily and Remus patrolled the castle after the fifth years and before the seventh years. After they had discussed the newly assigned Charms essay that seemed like it was going to be straining in length, she ventured into a topic that she was curious about but also cautious of how she presented it; it could be taken the wrong way, as if there were more to it than just curiosity.

"So, have… have the Slytherins… have they gotten Potter yet?" Lily questioned as they strolled along the fourth floor.

"You mean for the prank? No, not yet." Remus answered, hands in his pockets.

"Oh."

"It's kind of weird, that they still haven't tried anything. Maybe they've decided against it, or were never going to in the first place." There was brief silence before she plainly noted:

"I doubt that."

"So do I, actually," he chuckled, "I guess they're bidding their time. But… I didn't know you cared Lily, and about _James_." The Muggleborn gave him a sharp, pointed look and he laughed full on.

"Dorcas had a point, is all… though, I wouldn't mind seeing Potter with a tail—there'd be a laugh," she commented. _No problem—just come round during a full moon to see that, and much more_, Remus thought ironically. A small smile formed on his lips and his partner happened to catch it.

"What?" Lily wondered.

"Er, nothing," he responded, glancing at her.

"What were you thinking of?"

"Just something stupid."

"I want to hear it if it made you smile," she reported, smiling herself.

"No you don't. It's really… pointless, Lily. Really." Remus assured.

"Remus, am I going to have to hex you to get it out?" She removed her wand as if to get the point across but her face was happy.

"You would hex a prefect, _as_ a prefect? On rounds?!," he asked, stepping back and laughing, "You're as bad as James and Sirius!"

"Ugh, you may be right!" Lily said, making a face and stowing her wand away. Remus chuckled once more and was suddenly reminded of the fact that he had once fancied the witch before him.

That situation had been a very complicated and uncomfortable one, speaking honestly. He had realized with a vicious shock that he liked Lily in that way around Easter during their third year, and he vowed to alert _no one_. After spending enough time with her and seeing how kind and funny she was (not to mention cute), Remus found he could not be faulted for the feelings he had developed towards her but felt irreversibly conflicted regardless. Other than the fact that he did not want to risk his good relationship with her by confessing something that significant, he knew the predominant reason for his silence: James. James had literally declared to his friends in November of third year that he fancied Lily and would be her boyfriend someday when the time was right. For Remus to announce months later that he too cared about her was absolutely unacceptable to him, although true; it led way to too many monstrous consequences for the friends. And so the Lupin boy kept his secret to himself, appeasing himself by looking at Lily longer than necessary on occasion, until that fateful day during fourth year when it had been dragged out. Remus had just walked into Gryffindor Tower along with Lily and Marlene and all three were laughing. He bid them goodbye but his gaze on the red head must have been noticed by someone well versed in looking at her, because when the boys were in their room James rounded on him with an angry expression, accusing:

"You fancy Evans."

Awkwardness then followed. Remus initially denied forcefully, but upon the other boy's fierce insistence, he relented shamefully. Sirius and Peter had been floored by the confession and James, obviously, aggravated. He did not actually call Remus a traitor but it was clear he felt that way—he became very cool towards his friend and could be found glaring at him on occasion. Remus had been very upset as a result of his biggest concern coming to pass and he felt guilty, even though Lily did not even _like_ James, let alone have romantic feelings for him. After two weeks of James' indirect snubbing and Remus' sulking, Sirius told his best friend to stop being so harsh on his other friend, especially since Remus had sincerely taken James' emotions to heart and had not once acted on his feelings for Lily. The conversation had been somewhat standoffish but in the end James apologized for his reaction, joking that he could not entirely blame Remus for his choice in witches.

They did not really discuss the love triangle again or James' deeper thoughts about it, but by the start of fifth year Remus realized that his feelings for Lily had gone back to that of being friends. He never had figured out exactly what caused the feelings to fall away—maybe it had been due to the silent feud and negative feelings they had brought—but James seemed to have detected that Remus was no longer interested, which made him internally happier.

Friday marked the end of the week and the completion of the sixth years' Euphoria Elixir. When Sirius and James entered the dungeon classroom they were immediately beckoned over to Slughorn's desk by the professor himself. He was smiling broadly and had Lily, Snape and a Ravenclaw girl perched near his desk as well; Lily stood obstinately near the other girl and Snape appeared slightly vexed. When he saw the two Gryffindor boys approaching a bit wearily, his expression became lethal.

"Good, good! Now that you are all gathered I can extend my invitation!" the Slytherin Head of House started jovially. Sirius tore his hateful gaze away from Snape to peer questioningly at James.

"Er…" began the Ravenclaw.

"I would like to invite you five, Ms. Denton, to the first meeting of the Slug Club for the year!" Slughorn announced.

At this declaration Lily fought to control a grimace, Tavia Denton smiled a bit and Snape overtly rolled his eyes. The two best friends suddenly looked interested; they had heard of this man's club for students he considered special but had never received attention to join it.

"It will be held on October first, in my office. Now, I have yet to manage to get the pair of you, Severus and Lily, to attend a meeting and I have been trying since fourth year! You _must _honor me with your presence! You can't hide forever!"

Snape did his best to not look at his former friend. He and Lily used to actively avoid Slughorn's parties together….

"Tavia, I recently discovered your great grandmother had a very helping hand in creating the Shrinking Solution! Your skill at brewing suddenly makes sense!," the professor remarked, "And as for you misters Black and Potter, no introduction is needed! You both hail from prominent pureblood families and are magnificent students, with a noticeable penchant for… mischief, though, I must say." The boys looked at one another and grinned as Lily studied them out of the corner of her eye.

"So! I hope to see you all at eight o'clock on October first! I'll provide refreshments."

Slughorn waved them off with his hands and they returned to their seats and peers.

"What did he want?" Alice asked when Lily sat down.

"Just the Slug Club, again," she replied.

A little while later class had commenced and the pupils were working on their Elixirs, Snape seemingly in his own world with his hand scribbling away. He was the first to finish, twenty minutes before the double period was over, and spent the rest of the time browsing through his textbook.

"Bottle some and leave it on my desk, if you will!," Slughorn called when time was up, "_Very_ good Severus! It looks perfect!"

"You got it?" James mumbled to Sirius as he deposited both his and his friend's liquid concoctions into tiny flasks.

"Yeah," came the answer. Sirius, too, was bottling some of the Euphoria Elixir, although his portion was for their private collection. James left to take their potions to the desk and when he returned Sirius discretely handed him an additional flask; this was meant for their immediate consumption since they wanted to spend the next couple of hours being unnaturally upbeat. When he deemed no one was looking the Potter boy quickly downed the elixir, second to his best friend.

"From examining everyone's cauldrons, I would have to say that the clear winner of the prize for the best brewed potion is Mr. Snape! Congratulations m'boy—splendid job!," the professor announced, presenting the Slytherin with an extremely lavish new quill and stationary parchment, "Very well! Class is dismissed."

"Two Galleons say those are the nicest things that git has ever owned!" Sirius said as they stood, grinning wildly.

"Oh, now Padfoot, that's not very nice! I never despised him for being poor, only for being a wanker!" James responded, throwing his possessions into his bag with erratic hands and sporting a broad smile.

"True, true… oy, FRANK!" the Black boy bellowed unnecessarily, pointing at his roommate. The wizard being addressed, who was alongside his girlfriend and Marlene, stopped and looked with quirked eyebrows.

"Yes Sirius?" he wondered, noting the volume of the other's voice.

"You're a good man! Great wizard, you are! Glad I know you mate!"

"Er, okay… thanks?"

"Do you feel okay Sirius?" Alice asked, glancing at Marlene. They both appeared a bit astounded.

"We are _magnificent_, Waite! Perfect. Brilliant. Never better." James told her. Both boys were still smiling uncontrollably and their Housemates stared at them for a moment.

"You drank the elixir, didn't you?" Marlene inquired.

"Yes and it is _amazing_! You want some Marlene? We've got extra!" the Quidditch captain said.

"Marlene doesn't need it. Out of everyone, she is always happy!" Sirius stated, throwing her his trademark, female grin. Under the influence of the potion it came off as even more appealing, and the witch felt herself smile in return bashfully.

"Well we're off! See you lot later!" James stated.

"But we've got class in 10 minutes!" Frank mentioned.

"We've got stuff to do. Ten minutes is enough to do it in—loads of stuff to do. Right Padfoot?"

"Right Prongs! Have a fantastic ten minutes!" Sirius added. He and his best friend then yanked their bags from their desk and walked rapidly out of the dungeon.

"I feel like finding Peeves. Let's find Peeves. Help him wreck some havoc!" James commented. Sirius gasped then answered:

"_Yes_! Best idea ever! Then we should find Wormy and Moony!"

"They'll be in our next class."

"You're right. So will Fiona, and Michelle."

"Michelle and Fiona," grinned James.

"Maybe we should look for _them_ right now!" Sirius noted, displaying an identical grin.

"Hey, hey—it's Evans! Look, right up there!," the Potter boy pointed out, gesturing ahead of them where she was walking with a blond boy, "She's with someone."

"Yeah, the Hufflepuff prefect. Hamilton. You gonna do anything about it?"

There was silence as he deliberated this and they naturally got in closer proximity of the pair.

"Nah," he replied, shaking his head vigorously.

"I'm proud of you Jamesy!" Sirius claimed cheerfully.

"Thanks!" James said vivaciously.

"On to Peeves though!"

"Yes—the poltergeist!"

They increased their walk with even more fervor and soon whizzed by Lily and Marcus, conversing excitedly and exaggeratedly the whole while. The other two moved out of their zealous path so as not to get bowled over then looked at each, surprise pronounced.

"Well, looks like I wasn't the only one with the idea of not letting the elixir go to waste!" Marcus observed.

* * *

A/N: Er, not much else to say!


	10. The Discovery of Alfred Thumbkin

A/N: So, this is a long chapter, ha ha. Well, long_er_. Lol. Anyway, there is a semi-important notice at the end of this chapter in the second A/N, so check it out when you're done.

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 10**

James and Sirius' euphoric state lasted for about two hours, to the entertainment of much of their peers. The following morning brought the Quidditch tryouts and the Gryffindor captain awoke at 8.45 to get ready and eat a quick breakfast before going out to the pitch. James had instructed the rest of his team to arrive at 9:45 but he himself was leaving for the field at half past nine. When he left for the Great Hall, Remus had just risen, yawning, and Peter was stirring; he bestowed Remus with the task of making sure the Marauders were there by 10am, as he fully expected them to be there to give their support as best friends.

"That one—use a Howler to get 'im up if you have to." James instructed, referring to Sirius' drape-drawn bed which undoubtedly held its owner, slumbering away.

All but a Beater was present at breakfast when James walked in and he had 20 minutes to eat with them before leaving for the pitch.

"Make sure Rodrigo is with you lot in 15 minutes. I know he has the habit of being late, to everything," the captain told them when he stood to depart, speaking of the missing Beater Rodrigo Flores.

"Of course captain," smiled Dorcas.

A few minutes later, outside, James entered the Gryffindor locker room after opening it. He took a brief moment to stop and examine the room, pleasure coursing through his body. _He_ was the captain now—in charge of the team! _Merlin, Quidditch is glorious!..._, he thought to himself. After retrieving a whistle and the clipboard from the office (and pulling his gloves onto his hands), he went back outside to the storage shed in order to pull out the balls and all the extra Hogwarts' brooms. Consequently, James did not get very far because when he rounded the corner of the locker room he came face to face with Mulciber, Avery and Snape, the first of whom had his wand out. He abruptly ceased walking, face conveying that he had been totally taken aback.

"All right Potter?" Avery questioned, smiling darkly. James gave no reply; instead he stared at the three.

"You didn't think we'd forgotten about _you_, did you? After hitting all of your mates?" Mulciber wondered, leering and looking quite excited.

"Forgot me?... You mean, you're not here to watch the tryouts?," he responded, feigning confusion and ruffling his hair, "I would've never guessed!" When his left hand came back down from his head, his right rapidly retrieved his wand and he aimed it, prompting Snape, whose arms had been crossed, to do the same.

"You tossers really love creeping out of the shadows, don't you?" the captain snapped, gritting his teeth.

"No, it was simply near impossible to find you on your own without your infernal lapdogs by your side!," Snape retorted, voice full of contempt, "The trivial sport of Quidditch is the only thing dear _Potter_ loves more than attention, so it wasn't too hard to track you."

"Well gee, Snivelly—do you even know what attention is?" James pondered. The other boy's eyes flashed and in the next instance he and Mulciber had directed their wands at him, issuing spells.

"_Protego_!" the Gryffindor called in time, deflecting them both. They tried again, faces livid though saying nothing, and James was pushed back some behind his invisible shield.

So they were using nonverbal spells, eh? Well if that was how they wanted to play it…. James dropped suddenly to his knees and aimed his wand at Avery, who was caught unawares and thrown far back off his feet from the silent curse. He turned to Snape but was met by Mulciber swiping his arm across the air; the result was what felt like a staggering blow to James' head. It caught him off guard and caused his eyes to water, and before he had time to react Snape had moved next, delivering an intense pain to the bottom of his jaw. James felt blood in his mouth. He clenched his teeth and waved his wand in a circle just as Mulciber threw another spell, surrounding himself in a temporary, translucent dome. He timed it carefully and then flung a jinx at Mulciber, allowing his protection to disappear. The large Slytherin shouted out in shock, for his arms had turned to long tentacles and his wand dropped out of the hand he no longer possessed. James took the advantage of Snape looking at his Housemate to curse Mulciber again, this time keeling him over.

"Does Voldemort gang up on people as well?" James asked, spitting his blood out and glowering at his rival. Snape blanched a bit then replied:

"I'd keep talk of the Dark Lord to a minimum if I were you, Potter!"

"Don't want me bashing your mate, then?"

"Shut up!"

Snape answered with a spell as well and James threw one right back at him: they rebounded off each other and both boys ducked to avoid being hit. While down the Gryffindor shot another curse and blasted the Slytherin's wand from his hand, burning it in the process.

"Ah!" Snape exclaimed. Voices were then heard and James' ears perked up to the sound of them, realizing they belonged to his teammates. They had come like five minutes early!

The captain sprang up and ran back around the corner towards the locker room, meeting the other Quidditch players by the door (including Rodrigo).

"Hey Jam—," the Keeper, Elizabeth Green, started, smiling. She then noticed his face and inhaled, "What happened to your chin?"

"What?" he hastily replied, touching it.

"It's badly bruised," Dorcas revealed, looking concerned, "Like you were hit by a Bludger."

"Oh—oh!," So Snape's curse must have left a trace, "That's because I—I was! One escaped." He peered furtively over his shoulder after saying this, expecting the Slytherins to come hurtling around the bend.

"So are the balls out then? Did you catch the Bludger?" Kirby questioned, moving as if to go around the corner.

"NO!" James yelled, standing in his way. They all stared at him, alarmed. He sighed and then told them:

"Did I say a Bludger did this? I meant the Slytherins."

"What?!" Rodrigo stated.

"They're back there and I don't want them hurting you so—" But before James could complete his sentence, Dorcas had tossed her broom down and seized her wand, zipping past the captain.

"Dorcas!" James called, tearing after her with the others in tow. It did not take any time for him to catch up to her (for his legs were longer), but when he did she stood in the area where they had dueled, no Slytherins in sight. Snape must have helped his friends and gotten them out of there.

"I'm tired of them." Dorcas insisted angrily, looking at James.

"Well I think they're satisfied now so I probably won't have to worry about impending attacks for… five hours," he joked, still able to taste the blood, "But really Dorcas—don't drag yourself into this more than they readily will."

"They're such cowards!"

"It's still baffling, isn't it? But, let's get to Quidditch! They stopped me before I could get to the balls and extra brooms, and I'm sure there are Gryffindors already heading down here."

A few minutes before ten o'clock, the other three Marauders met James on the grass. His team was conversing amongst itself behind him and the potential players were all huddled in a group near the edge of the grass, some of them clutching brooms.

"What's up with your face?" asked Peter.

"Slytherins finally paid me my visit," he remarked. Sirius scoffed while Remus shook his head.

"Yeah?" the Pettigrew boy said, wide eyed.

"Yeah. I'll tell you about it later."

They left the field for the stands, where a sizeable amount of die hard Gryffindor fans and friends of the hopefuls sat.

"I never did understand why you didn't go for the team, Padfoot. You love Quidditch and you're good at it." Remus admitted as they took a seat.

"James and I needed _some_ distinction," grinned Sirius, "Besides, he's better and to be honest I'm just not disciplined enough to attend practices. I have a bit of a problem with being told what to do, if you haven't noticed."

"After five years, we've noticed." Peter chuckled.

"Sirius, it's Fiona." Remus observed very shortly after.

"Where?" he wondered, straightening up.

"There." He pointed to their right and sure enough Fiona Etherton and Melissa Parks were walking slowly up, as if they were not sure where to go or if they should even be there. Indeed, a few of the lion students looked at them.

"Excellent!," Sirius noted. He then whistled at them to get their attention, "Up here!" The brunette spotted him and a lucid smile swept over her face; she pointed the boys out to her friend and they made their way to sit with them.

"Glad you came," smiled Sirius when they arrived, Fiona sitting next to him, "Good day for Quidditch, wouldn't you say?"

Back on the pitch, James officially began the tryouts by calling the Gryffindor hopefuls to join the actual team on the grass.

"Right, so—tryouts!," he commenced, grinning a bit, "As you _must_ know by now, I'm James, captain of the team and longest standing member. We're looking for a third Chaser and a Seeker, and before I go any further, there aren't any first years who think they still may be allowed to play, are there?"

There was silence as the potentials all gazed at one another.

"Okay, good," James continued, "As for the rest of the team, this is Elizabeth Green, Keeper, Kirby Welps, Beater, Dorcas Meadowes, Chaser, and Rodrigo Flores, Beater. We're going to start off with four laps around the pitch so I can see how you fly, then you scoring goals or catching the Snitch alone, then you scoring against Elizabeth if you're Chaser or avoiding the Beaters if you're Seeker, and finally a short game with the entire team. Anyone without a broom can use one of the school's, and know that I want a bloody brilliant Seeker. Any questions?"

He looked around expectantly and a hand went into the air.

"Er—Amy?" he proposed, speaking to his ex-girlfriend.

"What happened to your jaw?" she responded happily. James gazed at her for a bit and then brought the whistle to his mouth, blowing it.

"Mount your brooms!" he told everyone loudly, continuing to look at Amy and smiling. She shrugged, grinning as well, before turning and following the others.

Just as the Gryffindors trying out for the team flew in the air to do laps, the sixth year girls came strolling onto the field towards the stands.

"Oh, they've already started!," Marlene mentioned, peering at her Housemates in the sky, "Look! There's Mitchell! Oh, he was so nervous last night."

"He'll do great." Lily assured.

"I told him the same thing but it didn't help much."

"I see Remus, Pettigrew and Black. Oh, Alice and Frank as well." Mary relayed, gesturing towards the stands. The couple was positioned a couple of benches down from where the Marauders sat, "Etherton and Parks? Here? Black must really fancy her!"

"Let's, l-let's sit with Alice!" Marlene quickly suggested, squeaking. She did not wait for a reply and commenced walking hastily, eyes downcast. Lily gaped at Mary.

"I didn't mean for it to—I'm sorry!," she quietly uttered, grimacing somewhat, "They're just together a lot!"

"Well not pointing it out would be preferable, I think," the red head answered.

Even though Marlene got a head start, the three witches reached their roommate and her boyfriend at the same time.

"Your brother's quite fast." Alice commented as they sat down.

"Oh—yes! Um, he spends half of his life on his broom." Marlene quipped, being directed away from a certain train of thought.

"Sounds like James." Frank mused.

"OY!" a voice yelled down to them. The group looked up and saw Sirius staring pointedly at them, a devilish half smile on his face.

"You girls, and Frank, hate us or something?" Peter added, alluding to the fact that they were not sitting with them. Marlene averted her eyes back to the players, countenance appearing a bit cryptic.

"Evans definitely does. Probably Macdonald too." Sirius reflected, smirking. Lily gave him a mini scowl but Mary had words.

"Only you, Black," she sweetly said. Fiona giggled, Remus smiled and Sirius put a hand on his chest.

"Right to the soul Macdonald!" he said dramatically.

"You mean you have one?" Lily questioned. She then registered what she had said and realized she had joked, harmlessly, about Sirius Black, something she was quite certain she had never done before. Everyone excluding Sirius and a disengaged Marlene laughed, and even she snorted to herself; he sat with an open mouth.

"_Evans_," he began, "I didn't know you had that in you! I'm impressed!"

"And I'm surprised. I didn't know you would come to support James on his first day as captain!" Peter added in jest. The Muggleborn rolled her eyes and smirked, saying:

"Hardly! I am here for Dorcas and Mitchell."

Lily was very surprised with herself. This had been said without force, outrage or an accompanying glare as it would have in the past, and in fact all of her intense disdain for Potter had not truly reappeared since the start of school. Yes, the witch was far from being his best friend, but her skin had stopped crawling whenever she saw his face. And like she had thought previously—this new stance he had taken with her was uplifting.

"It's okay, that's what we're for! And Michelle of course…" Sirius noted, looking at the blonde girl and winking. She struggled with an embarrassed smile as she glanced at him and Fiona, and then quickly at the red head; Lily caught the look.

After the first part of the trials and the potentials were halfway through demonstrating their skills individually for their desired position, Alice pointed someone out to Lily as her boyfriend spoke with Mary.

"_He's_ here, Lily," she remarked, peering at a wizard who was walking towards the stands with hands in his pockets. She followed her friend's gaze and saw to whom Alice was referring: Lily's ex-boyfriend Edmund Priatt. She grimaced.

"Why is he even here?!," she demanded, "He said he doesn't even like Quidditch much!"

"Well, he _is _a Gryffindor regardless… maybe all of his mates are here?" Marlene postulated.

"Ugh. If they are, I hope they leave so he will!"

Lily and Edmund, who was a seventh year, had not lasted very long together. She found out during the course of their relationship that he had the temper of a dragon and was very "whiny when he didn't get his way". When she ended it, Edmund had not been very appreciative; he initially bothered her frequently as a result of his unhappiness and Lily was clearly upset by it. Short of Dorcas insisting that she was going to hex him where the sun did not shine, it had actually been James Potter and the rest of the Marauders who ceased Edmund's harassing. A group of pixies went missing from the Defense Against the Dark Arts class during one morning and reappeared around the Priatt boy shortly afterward, poking, prodding and screeching at him. The creatures did not leave him alone until lunch was over, at which point they left him hanging on top of the Astronomy tower before fleeing to freedom in the Forbidden Forest.

That evening when he walked into the common room, shaken, James had jovially asked him how it had felt to be harassed by an unrelenting pest. Once again the feat could not absolutely be connected to the Marauders but many had their hunches. When those close to them had inquired about it they answered that Edmund had just been a random victim to prank—no intentions behind it. Coincidentally, he stopped bothering Lily after that day and she, though she did not utter a single word about it, could not help but feel a wave of gratitude towards the infamous Marauders, intentional or not.

"Yep—here for his friends." Alice confirmed, watching him merge into a tiny crowd of lion seventh year boys.

"I can't wait until this year is over, then he'll be gone. Bad memories I don't need." Lily commented. As she shuddered for effect, she missed her ex-boyfriend's discovery of her amongst the observers and subsequent scowl.

An hour and a half later the tryouts were done and James was ready to announce the two new players for the team.

"Some of you were really good," he began when they were all gathered once more, sweatier, "And some of you!—"

"Should try out again when more spots open up!" Elizabeth interjected loudly, as if she had known her captain was going to say something less than pleasant of the ones who could not play very well. The Keeper peered at him.

"Right," James said, grinning, "Well, down to it then. The third Chaser we've chosen is Amy Dunesfield and the new Seeker, who I'm pretty damn excited about, is Mitchell McKinnon. Congratulations!" Amy clapped her hands a few times and gave a short shout of pleasure as Mitchell seemed dumbfounded before a large grin dominated his features. The other hopefuls appeared forlorn as they took their leave and one girl hissed to her friend that the choices were obviously biased.

"He went _out_ with Dunesfield for Merlin's sake!" she said.

"I'm glad I get to work with you, Amy," Dorcas told her, smiling, "You're a good Chaser!"

"Thanks Dorcas!" Amy responded.

"I'll never forgive you for not telling me you were an undercover Quidditch player," James stated, smiling at her, "And _you_, McKinnon—you were the best out there by far! You can really Seek!"

"Thanks, James…" he responded, sounding nervous for calling his captain by his first name but pleased all the same.

"And you're only a third year—you can stay with the team for four more years!" The students from the stands who had people left on the field to be concerned about then trickled down to the Quidditch team, initiating multiple conversations.

"Oh Mitchell! You were amazing! Mum and Dad will be proud!" Marlene swooned as she gave her brother a tight hug. He took it but looked slightly embarrassed when he noticed his friends standing nearby, chuckling.

"Congratulations Amy!"

"Thank you Alice, Lily!" the prefect answered.

"Nice choices Prongs!" Sirius remarked.

"Yeah. The team should be really strong now." Remus predicted.

"I think so too, Moony. Strong enough to get that Cup!," James replied. He then spotted the two Ravenclaws, "You came!"

"Of course! You invited us," Michelle beamed, "It was fun to watch!"

"Did you even watch it, Padfoot?" the Potter boy questioned, glancing suggestively at Fiona.

" 'Course I did! Didn't you hear that loud, opinionated kid? It was me!" Sirius attested.

"Okay, okay," laughed James.

"Is it lunch yet? I'm _starving_!" Dorcas reported.

"In about another half an hour." Frank responded, checking his watch.

"James, _what_ happened to your jaw?" Alice asked, gazing at him.

"I asked as well and he didn't say." Amy stated.

"A badge, of courage!," he noted evasively, in a gallant voice.

"From what? Tripping on a rock?" teased Sirius, although he knew the reason for his best friend's conspicuous bruise. There was laughter and the large group had started to walk.

"Anyway!," James continued, pushing his friend aside, "I think my first day as captain went well, and it was cool to have you lot come to watch and support! Frank and Alice, Marlene—even Macdonald! I didn't know I meant _so_ much to you all!" This last sentence came out with an exaggerated sigh.

"Your humility is a crime, James. We can all learn from you!" Remus dryly claimed, earning more laughter.

"Don't forget our dear Ravenclaw friends!" Sirius advised not as loudly, and putting an arm around Fiona's shoulders.

"Of course! Supporting inter-House bonds," the captain grinned, winking at Michelle.

Lily, who happened to be walking slightly behind the Marauders with a few others wrapped up in discussion, was peering at James with a quizzical look that contained elements of befuddlement and being affronted. He had recognized everyone but her for coming and watching. Granted, he did not call out his three best friends but he did not have to for that reason, nor did he with Dorcas but she was on the team alongside him—she had no choice! He had even mentioned the two Ravenclaw witches who had taken to hanging around him and Black. Out of courtesy by acknowledging everyone else there whom he knew, Potter should have at least _thought_ to say Lily's name. Any other time he would have recognized her and her alone, turning it into an ode of love (much to her chagrin). Lily did not dwell on it for much longer however because she realized it did not bother her terribly; her last thought on it was that the overlook had been slightly rude.

"So when do you think Etherton is going to announce she's decided to transform into a Gryffindor?" Dorcas quietly pondered, strolling besides the red head. Lily giggled.

* * *

The start of the third week brought the Marauders anticipation for what would happen at the end of it: the first full moon of the school year. Thankfully it fell on a Saturday so Remus could hide behind the excuse of being ill that day to explain his absence instead of the usual "sick mum" lie, which sounded lamer with each month. In addition, the other three boys would be able to sleep in on Sunday as opposed to dragging themselves, bleary eyed, to their lessons like they normally did.

"So, clearly, we need to plan our next prank." Sirius crisply stated one evening during dinner.

"And when will we have time to execute it exactly?" Remus wondered a bit incredulously, "It's already Thursday!"

"I mean _after_ your… day! Next week! We've had too long of a lag; there's never been this much time in between before." The Lupin boy nodded, returning to prodding his food. (He was already beginning to look peaky).

"Be warned—I'm scheduling the first practices next week Padfoot. The first game is November first." James noted.

"Not a problem as long as you leave room for Marauder business." Sirius answered evenly, cutting steak into pieces.

"Speaking of which—Prongs, have you forgotten about the detention bet?" Peter inquired. Sirius ceased mid-cut with his hands frozen in position and looked up at James, who was gazing at Peter with shock and aggravation.

"That's a very good question, Wormy. Yes, Potter—_have_ you forgotten?" the Black boy questioned.

"No…" came the slow answer.

"You haven't gotten a detention at all yet." Remus mentioned matter of factly, eating potato. He was actually pleased by this fact, because James typically received a punishment within the first three days of school starting, but it _was_ the plain truth.

The captain shot a glare at Remus before commenting:

"I'm waiting for the right opportunity to present itself!"

"Because there aren't Slytherins walking around." Sirius sarcastically remarked.

"I'll get one!," James quickly proclaimed before changing the subject, "So what d'you have in mind for the prank?"

"I dunno. I just said we need to plan the next one. Besides, I came up with the first one. One of you throw something out." There was some silence as they thought about possibilities.

"What about…" James commenced.

"What about setting billywigs loose in the corridors and watching people levitate from their stings?" Peter interrupted merrily. Sirius peered at him a bored fashion.

"Where are we going to get billywigs, Pettigrew?" he asked.

"There's a magical creature shop in Hogsmeade isn't there?" came the rather defensive retort.

"Yes there is," confirmed Remus, "But we can't be certain they'd sting people."

"You've got something with the levitation, though. What if we charmed an entire floor and caused kids to float, and charmed the doorways to the classrooms to repel them so there'd be nothing but corridors full of levitating students?" suggested James.

"Like balloons,"grinned Sirius, "Nice one mate!" Peter smiled in agreement.

"We should do it when we have a free period! That way we could at least watch what happens," he told them.

"Or do it before class starts on the floor we have one on. We can get there a bit early and watch the spectacle from the safety of inside the room! It'd be less suspicious because we're there as it happens, innocent pupils waiting for the day's lesson to begin!" Sirius explained.

"Less suspicion? The fact that we'd be in class early is enough to raise concern." Remus pointed out. His friends chuckled.

"Oh, and don't think you can miss two pranks in a row Moony; it's highly unacceptable! You're in," the Black boy revealed, eyes smiling.

By Saturday morning, however, the only thing Remus was "in" was his bed. Like with every other full moon, he spent the day of on bed rest as his body anticipated what it would have to endure come nightfall. His friends always brought him food when he was stuck in bed but it was never much because Remus could not keep it down; his meals were normally only bread, broth and tea.

"Er, boys? Is Remus okay? He began to look pretty ill yesterday evening in the common room." Marlene asked when the Marauders arrived at their House table for breakfast.

"Yeah, and he's not with you now." Mary added, looking at them with some concern.

"Actually he's not okay. He _is_ ill." James told them evenly, reaching for a muffin.

"Oh no!" pouted Marlene.

"Ah, he's not too bad." Sirius said, beginning to concoct his typical, daily cup of coffee.

"Yeah, he may even be fine by Saturday night!" Peter noted. This remark earned him a rapid kick in his shin for the specificity of it. He winced.

When the post was delivered some 15 minutes later, the _Prophet_ had grisly news to report.

"Thumbkin was found… dead." Derrick Avery read aloud at the Slytherin table. He absorbed a few more of the words before putting the paper down and chuckling, "They sound so _upset_ to have found the Dark Lord's mark with him!"

"The _Prophet_ is a joke. Written by nothing but a lot of ignorant cowards with Ministry ties." Snape commented.

"Yes, but I think it does a sufficient job of scaring the masses. Makes his job that less difficult!"

"_We_ should be out there, doing that! Hunting down unworthy or traitorous vermin, torturing—making his message clear!" Mulciber growled, banging his fist on the table.

"We will." Gates told him.

"When?!"

"In due time." Avery stated, gazing at him a bit coldly.

"Due _time_," Mulciber sneered, "No one is ever upfront! I'm tired of sitting here in Hogwarts like a good little student when it's vain! All of this won't matter when he's in charge! Exams and House points! And then to have to share our space with the very _filth_ we are supposed to be against! Mudbloods and improper purebloods! Gryffindor is plagued with them! Black, Potter, Longbottom, Macdonald, Evans!—"

"It is _not_ in vain!," Snape interrupted, glowering at this Housemate, "We are getting an education, which is what he wants. Do you think he would appreciate wizards who don't know what an antidote is or who can't even do a simple stunning spell? We're worthless without knowledge!"

"Well… we're not first years here!"

"So what do you suggest, Walton? We go round sporting shirts that claim our allegiance to his cause? _That_ would be in vain! We are able to go undetected, presumed to be mere students, and help him that way! We are close to everyone, which is ideal when the time comes to strike."

"Precisely. Yes, it's frustrating sometimes, but it is our job to wait. Like I said—in due time." Avery commented. Mulciber leered at his peers aggressively before staring at the table in unwilling defeat.

"You're right, I suppose," he growled.

"Yes," nodded Gates, "And you know what Evan's father said. The Dark Lord is pleased with his supporters at Hogwarts… he is near ready to take devoted ones into his ranks."

Rosier's father, a Death Eater, was their primary tie to all things Voldemort since none of them had ever spoken to the dark wizard himself, but he knew a substantial amount about them. Lucius Malfoy was also a connection via Severus and he had officially been initiated a Death Eater that summer, much to the pleasure of his girlfriend's sister Bellatrix and her husband (both of whom were also Death Eaters).

"That will make it worth it!," Mulciber proclaimed, smiling insidiously, "In the mean time, I _do_ have targets to vent my anger upon." He directed his attention to the Gryffindor table and held up his wand, pretending to shoot curses at the Marauders.

"Thumbkin's dead." James announced hollowly, folding his newspaper up and handing it to Sirius.

"They found him?!" Peter replied.

"Yes. Well, more like pieces of him."

"What?" Sirius pondered, completely shocked as Peter blanched.

"The Dark Mark was on his right hand. Burned into it." James reported.

"W-Where'd they find him?" the Pettigrew boy wondered.

"Western England. Poor bloke…"

"_Merlin_! They decapitated him!" exclaimed Sirius, who had opened the paper.

"Are you kidding?" Peter asked, losing the very little color he had left in his face.

"No, and that wasn't all!... Voldemort is really determined, isn't he? And all the while his little minions can run around Hogwarts terrorizing kids, getting practice!" Sirius glared at the Slytherin table as his hands instinctively crumbled the periodical.

"Let's not tell Remus about this, yeah? He'll already have enough on his mind and there's no need to add something bad." James suggested.

When they finished their meal and returned to their dormitory with food for their friend, he was awake.

"Thanks." Remus mumbled from under his pillow, hearing Sirius set dishes down on the bedside table.

"The girls noticed you weren't there. Asked if you were okay," he told him.

"What'd you say?"

"That you'd be fine in a couple of days." Peter revealed.

"I didn't miss anything at breakfast did I?" the Lupin boy questioned, sighing and sitting up to inspect his provisions. He was terribly pale.

"Uh, no. Not at all." James responded, thinking about Thumbkin's death.

"What are you doing today?" Remus inquired, stirring his broth.

"Some homework, but only because there's so much of it and I expect we'll be asleep for a good part of the day tomorrow."  
Sirius looked swiftly at his best friend, as if this were news to him.

"We are?" he wondered.

"Might as well." James shrugged.

"What is this? _You_ saying to do homework, on a Saturday?!"

"It's called being a sixth year, where they give you mountains of work to do that is pretty much unavoidable."

"Well I'll _gladly_ go back to the days where we were able to _not _do work and still do well." Sirius remarked.

"I think those days are over Padfoot." Peter noted.

"They never existed for you, Pete," he shot back, smirking.

At seven o'clock that evening, Remus left for the Hospital Wing to meet Madam Pomfrey so she could escort him to the Whomping Willow. When his Housemates asked where he was going because they had not seen him all day, he answered the infirmary to get treatment and they believed it: he looked horrible and was trembling. His fellow Marauders watched him leave and knew that in a few hours they would see him again.

"Let's go." James announced a little after 9:30, glancing at his watch. The three of them had been sitting at their favorite table in the common room caught between reading for Charms and playing wizard games, which had prompted them to try to create some of their own.

"Excellent," grinned Sirius as they started to hastily gather their things.

"Should I tell Frank we're going to visit Moony in the Hospital Wing?" Peter inquired.

"Yeah. We'll get the Cloak." James answered, grabbing his textbook for him.

"At least this time when we don't show up before he goes to sleep he'll know where we 'are'." Sirius commented. A small stack of parchment strewn with possible new games and rules fluttered to the floor and he used his wand to retrieve them.

Frank often wondered, during fifth year, where his roommates were on certain nights while he prepared for bed and they were nowhere to be found. Granted, they were always in their four posters asleep by the time he woke up the next morning, so he assumed they had merely been up to something mischievous late the night before.

James quickly turned away from the table when he had collected their belongings and knocked into someone with the pile of possessions.

"Aah!" Lily exclaimed, rubbing her shoulder where she had been hit and wincing a bit.

"In a hurry, James? Try not to kill my friend though, will you?" Dorcas said, alongside her.

"Sorry! Sorry Evans—really," he stated, watching Peter go to find Frank. James then continued on his path as if it had not happened.

"Ladies!" Sirius greeted, following the captain with his own arms full of stuff.

"Er, no problem!" Lily called to James, sounding a tad annoyed and raising her voice slightly to make sure he had heard her. He did not turn around or utter a response in return.

"I understand he's apparently busy, but it would've been nice if he would have at least _looked_ at me when apologizing! It would have given his apology credit." Lily explained, resuming their walk to their room.

"I think he barely realized he even bumped into you," smiled Dorcas, "It's so odd that he's left you alone now!"

"A bit, mainly because I thought it wouldn't last…," she admitted reflectively, "But still good!"

Sirius and James walked down the boys' staircase with the Cloak hidden in its owner's robes and saw Peter talking to Frank, Alice and Marlene. Sirius whistled and Peter said goodbye to the other sixth years before hurrying off to join his two friends. When they exited the portrait hole they made a left instead of a right and began their way to the Entrance Hall; two of them would slip under the Cloak when they were closer to leaving the castle. As they made their way through the school, Peter marveled at what they had accomplished last year and how they were able to morph into animals at will. James and Sirius took it all in stride as if it were nothing, as if everyone was an Animagus and had a werewolf for a best friend. Peter remembered when they confronted Remus about his monthly absences during second year and how surreal it had been.

…

_Peter sat on his bed, nervously wringing his hands and watching James pace back and forth in front of his own bed. Sirius was perched on the edge of his four poster, making a quill float with his wand._

"_Will he show?" Peter timidly asked after enough tense silence._

"_He'll show. We asked him to meet us up here." James said._

"_But he's late, by 15 minutes."_

"_Maybe he's still doing homework with Frank."_

"_And _we_ didn't ask him ourselves. We had Mary give him a note," added Peter._

"_He'll _show_, Peter." Sirius noted firmly, looking at the small boy. Peter shrank back a bit, but still had his doubts. He did not think that _he_ would oblige them if he had been in Remus' position—after all, they had been more or less avoiding him for the last four days._

_Peter had noticed that in the beginning, Remus had been confused by the distance and not entirely sure they were actually evading him, but by the third day he was sure of it and sufficiently crushed. He had no idea why they were not interacting with him and it really saddened him; how was he to know that his friends had figured out he was a werewolf and, as twelve year old boys, were at a complete loss on what to do and so pulled away? James had finally voiced, though, that they had to talk to him about it and so they sent him a note requesting his presence in their dorm._

_After 20 minutes of waiting, the door of their room creaked open and Remus walked slowly into the vicinity. All four stopped what they were doing and stared at each other, recognizing the awkwardness. Remus' countenance appeared forlorn._

"_Uh… hey," greeted James._

"_Hi." Remus replied._

"_You're… you're late."_

"_Oh. I… I actually came in here for a, an ink bottle," he told him._

"_You didn't get our note?" Peter inquired, sounding lost._

"_Um… well, y-yes. Yes, I got it." Remus remarked._

"_So, you didn't want to meet us?" Sirius pondered._

"_Well, I…," the Lupin boy started, staring at the carpet, "I-It's just, you lot have been… ignoring me, and then…you sent me a note instead of talking to me." The other three all looked at one another guiltily in the heavy silence._

"_Well… how's your mum? You visited her at the beginning of the week." Sirius prompted, leading the conversation into the issue at hand._

"_Oh! She's… she's, okay. Not brilliant or anything, of course." _

"_It must be hard, her being ill all the time." James commented, gazing at him._

"_Yeah, yeah, it is. She has relapses. Bad ones." Remus stated carefully._

"_What does she have again?"_

"_Oh… a-a load of things! I don't know exactly. She and Dad don't get into the details—they don't want to upset me even more."_

"_She _must_ have a lot of things, and they're really specific I guess." Sirius responded._

"_W-What do you mean?" Remus wondered, chuckling lightly and anxiously, peering at one after the other._

"_I mean, it's just, you're only gone for two days at a time when she's sick. Sick more than usual, of course."_

_There was uncomfortable silence before the Lupin boy spoke up with the same, hesitant laugh:_

"_Did you ask to meet me so we could talk about my mum?"_

_  
"Well, it's important Remus. One of our mate's mothers is always ill. That's big." James responded._

"_Yeah, and you seem pretty calm about it." Peter interjected._

"_I'm used to it." Remus insisted, sound defensive and somewhat aggressive. They were all staring at him once more and looked odd—grim. He was beginning to become very unnerved._

"_Has she been sick like this your whole life?" James inquired._

"_Maybe!" _

_Remus had an awful feeling in his gut and wanted to run out of the room._

"_And is she always ill when it's the full moon?" Sirius quietly questioned, peering at him solemnly._

_At that moment, the world stopped for Remus. He felt like he was suffocating. Time itself had ceased moving and the looks on his friends' faces would remain fixated like that until the end of days. He stared back but his blank expression did not reflect the gripping fear he felt inside._

"_What does the moon have to do with anything?" Remus dully asked, thinking that if he did not succumb to his inner frenzy and stayed rationale, he might make it out without revealing his secret._

"_It's when you're always gone, Remus—to visit her." James mentioned._

"_How would—"_

"_We know because we've been keeping record!," Sirius declared, "Ever since March of this year. We thought it was weird how you left every month, on different days. You would go see your mum during the week sometimes when we had classes, instead of on the weekend which would make more sense."_

"_And we noticed _you_ would look ill the day you left sometimes, or when you came back." Peter added._

"_So, in March, we started to keep track of when you left and when you came back; the days, times, how you looked." James continued._

"_And when we started term last month, you went to see her _again_, even though you'd just spent all holiday with her. Jeffers happened to mention it was a full moon that day and… I dunno. We were looking for patterns so why not? We got a calendar—" Sirius relayed._

"_And every time you had gone, it was a full moon that day," his best friend finished. Remus continued to stare at them, though now he could definitely feel tears prickling the back of his eyes._

"_So, s-so either your mother is a… a _werewolf_—" Peter timidly began._

"_Or you are." Sirius observed._

_So there it was. At the mention of the actual word and the envisions of the prejudice, anger and disgust they must have felt, Remus lost his composure. He had lost the only friends he knew. They had figured him out and that is why they had avoided him. The world was in motion once more and spinning out of control._

"_I'm going." Remus stated in a shaky voice. He turned around and reached for the door handle, but James ran to it just in time and planted himself in front of it, blocking the other's path._

"_Remus, we have to talk," he told him._

"_About _what_?"_

"_Everything we just said." Sirius said, who was standing up._

"_Oh, how you think my mum or I is, is a… a—," the Lupin boy heatedly responded, tears still present, "I said I wanted to go! Get out of my way."_

"_No," James remarked, appearing scared and resolute, "This is important."_

"Move_ James!"_

"_I won't!"_

"_I'll hex you! I swear!"_

"_Remus, _are you a werewolf_?!" the Black boy demanded. He seemed upset._

"_Just tell us, please!" Peter pleaded, wringing his hands again. _

_Remus' face screwed up with emotion as he looked at the three of them once more, and before he knew it, his tears had fallen and he was shouting with a drawn wand._

"_YES, okay?! I am! I'm a bloody werewolf! Are you happy?! I got bit when I was really small! I've been like this practically all my life and I can't change it! I _hate _it!! I can't tell people obviously but now you know! So go ahead—think I'm a freak! Avoid me like you were doing! Think I'm a monster, and that I don't deserve to be at Hogwarts! Think what everyone else does about werewolves! No one wants a dangerous creature around them so I can't blame you!"_

_He then sunk to the floor and put his arms around his legs, resting his head on his hands and sobbing._

_He could not see what his roommates were doing during the interval of penetrating silence nor were they making noise, but he did not really care; he was too absorbed with thoughts of what they would do now that they knew. _

"_Remus," a sad voice noted. It was very nearby. _

_He lifted his head and saw Peter, Sirius and James all sitting down on the carpet next to him, cross legged._

"_Why would we _ever_ think those things about you?" Sirius wondered, peering at him._

"_You're our friend and that's what matters. That always comes first," revealed James._

"_Yeah. And we felt that as your friends, you should have at least told _us_." Peter commented._

"_I was… I was, afraid, of how you'd take it." Remus acknowledged, looking around at them through wet eyes and with utter disbelief._

"_Like real friends, we would've been fine with it, and we are. You're still Remus!," James noted, smiling slightly, "We just needed to hear it from you. We _have_ to be able to tell each other stuff."_

"_And sorry about ignoring you, mate. That was wrong of us. It was shocking information to find out though, you have to admit." Sirius said, chuckling._

"_Definitely," smiled Peter._

_Remus hurriedly wiped his eyes on his damp robes sleeves, sniffing once or twice, before peering around at the three boys around him and saying hopefully:_

"_Y-You lot mean it? It's okay? Really?"_

"_Really, werewolf." Sirius grinned._

…

Remus told them, in detail, his story about being a werewolf right afterward, and three weeks later Sirius came to them with a riveting idea of how to help the boy in question. He told them he had read an article in the _Prophet_ about a wizard sent to Azkaban for illegally becoming a horse Animagus, and thought the idea of magically becoming animals was perfect. An enthusiastic James instantly agreed and Remus, who selfishly pushed aside the many red flags that erupted in his mind (the chief of which was their dreadfully young age), was in awe of what amazing friends he had. Nearly three years later, they had accomplished their risky, impressive goal.

"All right Wormtail—let us in." James said as he whipped the Cloak off himself and Peter. (Sirius had been the one this time who had braved not being under the security of the Cloak). The three of them were crouched down near the back of the Whomping Willow so as to lessen the possibility of avoidable injury and being seen. The tree was already in violent motion.

Peter nodded and then closed his eyes after looking around furtively; a few moments later, a small rat was in the spot where the teenage boy had been. Sirius smiled faintly as the rat let out one squeak and then ran off, weaving its way through the roots to the appropriate spot. The remaining two waited in starch silence, both anticipating the adrenaline rush that awaited them while maintaining their stooped position; not long afterward, the Whomping Willow ceased moving. Sirius looked at James and grinned.

"Shall we?" he pondered.

"It would be a travesty if we didn't!" his best friend answered.

James threw the Cloak over them once more and they made their way to the front of the tree where they would descend into the tunnel and be taken to a fully transformed werewolf.

* * *

A/N: I think you're going to hate me. Ha ha ha!!! I need to take a week break so I can write more of the story and type more as well; I'm catching up to myself frighteningly fast and need to slow down a bit. So, instead of posting next Saturday (the 21st), I'll post chapter 11 the Saturday after that (the 28th). I'm sorry if this upsets anyone, lol!, but I really need to write more. The good thing is I at least have the chapters planned out in my mind—just have to put them down on paper. 'Til then readers!


	11. Lessons in Levitation

A/N: So here it is, two weeks later, like I promised! Um, so… yeah! Hope you like it. Lol.

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 11 **

Two thirds of the Marauders climbed into their beds at 5:30am on Sunday morning, clearly worn out but satisfied as well. The remaining member lay curled on the floor of a room in the Shrieking Shack, fast asleep, where the school's nurse would retrieve him the minute the sun rose. Frank was slumbering peacefully as his roommates languidly changed into their pajamas before rapidly embracing sleep, and when he awoke four hours, later they appeared to show absolutely no signs of life. James was the first to regain consciousness hours later, a little after 2:30 in the afternoon; Sirius and Peter continued to snore on their four posters. He took the opportunity to shower which was needed since he had run around for hours outside as a stag, and when he stepped out his stomach growled forcefully. They had obviously missed lunch and dinner had awhile before it started, so he decided on the lucid choice: the kitchens. Conversely, he did not want to bring his friends food back or venture there alone, so he woke them up. It did not take much effort with Peter but Sirius required both boys' combined attempts to rouse him, and when they managed he had a less than blissful attitude.

"What'd you wake me for?" he inquired roughly as he rubbed his eyes.

"We're hungry. And we were asleep for about nine hours—that's enough." James relayed.

"And if we want any chance of actually being tired tonight, we should get up," Peter noted, stretching and yawning, "I don't know about you but I feel _great_! Well rested."

"Well you don't smell as good, I can tell you that!," the captain responded, narrowing his eyes from Peter's movement, "Water. Soap. Quickly. Please."

Peter looked abashed as Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"I just got up, James! I-I was planning on it!," the Pettigrew boy stated, marching off to the bathroom, "And you probably stink too Sirius so I wouldn't be so quick to laugh!"

"Wormtail, when you look like me you _never_ stink." Sirius explained, still sitting in his bed. James sniffed the air excessively and then said:

"I'd say you're reminiscent of a bed of roses and… a field of hippogriff dung." Peter laughed from his distant position in the room and Sirius smirked as he hurled a pillow at his best friend.

The three boys went to go visit Remus around seven that evening and see if he was able to go back with them to Gryffindor Tower. They received a small surprise on their way to the Hospital Wing in the form of Lily and Marcus Hamilton, apparently having just come from it.

"Evans?" Sirius loudly announced when the five inevitably saw each other.

"Oh! Er… yeah," the red head uttered, gazing at the Marauders with apprehension and surprise.

"What are you doing in the Hospital Wing? Nothing happened to the girls did it?" (He was referring to the Gryffindors).

"No. I—we—were visiting someone. Remus," she revealed.

"Really?" Peter answered, drawing his head back.

"Yeah. I knew he was ill."

"Then why is Hamilton with you?"

Lily made a face at the blunt question and Marcus quirked an eyebrow. Sirius chuckled somewhat as James shook his head and muttered to his friend:

"Prefect, Wormy."

"I _am_ a prefect, Pettigrew. I do know Remus." Marcus told him. The two had actually spent much of the afternoon together in the library and outside, and he had willingly gone with Lily to visit her fellow Gryffindor when she brought it up.

"You're not the only ones allowed to see him," she pointed out, gazing critically at Peter.

"Of course not." James said, shrugging. He then continued on their previous path to the infirmary. Sirius winked at the prefects and followed, with Peter right beside him who mentioned:

"It was _just_ an honest question."

"That was much less eventful than it would've been in the past," smiled Marcus when they had gone. Lily nodded vaguely as she glanced back once at the Marauders. He had still, for a moment, been weary that James was going to cause a scene because he was with Lily. Marcus figured that it was now official: Potter had moved on and it was safe for other males to court her, though _he_ did not want any others approaching her. (All of this he kept to himself, no doubt).

Pomfrey did not want to let Remus leave with his Housemates but after much reasoning and charming conversations, she grudgingly admitted he was well enough and let him go. He was still pale but happy, and voiced that he really wanted to go to the kitchens for a large piece of meat when they left. James scheduled the first practice for the Quidditch team on Tuesday at 6pm and at dinner that night wore his uniform and practically swallowed his food whole.

"So are we doing the prank this week or what?" Sirius wondered.

"Yeah," confirmed the Potter boy, munching broccoli.

"What day?"

"Thursday." Peter piped up.

"So what class should we do it before?"

"Not Thorne's. I think she's still on edge from when Sirius turned Avery into that jarvey." Remus commented.

"Yeah, she wouldn't appreciate that big of a disruption," agreed Peter.

"What about Transfiguration? At least we know how to handle McGonagall." James noted.

"Yeah, and she could use a laugh," Sirius said, "All right. So we'll get there early. Pete, you'll keep cover and Moony, Prongs and I'll charm the doorways and corridor. It's settled."

"You lot gonna watch our first practice?"

"Definitely!" Peter assured.

"I don't think so James, or at least not all of it. Mary asked me to help her with our History essay at seven." Remus reported.

"I'm seeing Fiona. It's been a few days since we've been alone. I think we're going to go to the mirror on the fourth floor; get some seclusion." Sirius grinned.

"You know Peter, if you want help with the essay—" the Lupin boy started.

"Which you will!"

"Then you should probably join us."

"I'll… I'll ask Frank. If I do have trouble with it. I… I want to go to practice." Peter said. He seemed uncomfortable. Sirius glanced at Remus and then stared at the Pettigrew boy.

"That's cool, Pete," smiled James, "That means you have ten minutes to finish eating because that's when I'm leaving."

After the captain summoned his broom at the Entrance Hall, they walked to the pitch where they were caught up to by Dorcas halfway through.

"Peter, captain," she greeted, holding her broomstick.

"Hi Dorcas!" Peter replied.

"Watching us?"

"Yeah."

"That sounds good, doesn't it?" James postulated.

"What?" Dorcas questioned.

"Captain!"

"Yeah, I thought it would be a nice boast for your very healthy ego!" she grinned, rolling her eyes.

"What the _hell_ are they doing here?!" demanded James when they had reached the field and the other five teammates. His fellow players were glaring across the grass at a group of students loitering about, who seemed to be very smug and intent on staying.

"Can we just curse them now and be done with it?" Rodrigo whined when they saw the three arrive.

"They were here when we got here, just looking at us and laughing." Elizabeth complained.

"Do Slytherins always turn up at your practices?" Amy asked her ex-boyfriend.

"No. Something tells me it's only because I'm captain." James answered, glowering at them. There was a mixture of years but he could make out Rosier, Snape and Regulus among them.

"I agree with Rodrigo. Let's curse them." Dorcas announced.

"I think that's what they want, and then they can run and tell and Gryffindor's not allowed to play. As long as they stay over there, we have to ignore them."

The lions mumbled consent but sent looks of warning in the direction of their rivals.

"Prongs, do I have to sit in the stands? Can I watch from here?" Peter quietly implored, looking at the Slytherins.

"No worry, Wormtail—you'll be fine. Sit wherever you want." James answered, knowing his friend was concerned about being a target while his Housemates were in the air. He would not allow that to happen, however. Peter nodded and moved off to the side.

"Okay, so we're going to practice tomorrow and Thursday as well, but beginning next week I want four weekly practices," the captain told them.

"For the rest of the school year?" Kirby asked.

"If I can. I know booking the pitch is gonna get tight, but even hour long practices are good if I can get four a week."

"I remember Nadine telling me the most a team can get is three, weekends not included." Dorcas remarked.

"She didn't have a charming smile to work for her benefit," James grinned, "Crimps can't resist me! She'd give me an extra booking."

The team laughed and shook their heads.

"Right then! Three laps and then we'll get to the plays. Hope you lot studied them!" He blew his whistle and the six players mounted their brooms, shooting into the sky. James turned to peer at the Slytherins when he heard them laugh, and his wand hand flexed before he jumped on his broom and joined his team.

Two days later it was time for the Marauders' second prank of the year. Sirius and James were in Care of Magical Creatures discussing it for they had to execute it the very next period.

"Maybe you should deliberately get caught Jamesy, you know, that way you could get a detention," Sirius casually began, waving a lizard in front of a tree, "Because, as you know, you _still_ haven't gotten a detention!"

James chuckled nervously and loudly, making his own lizard float around the tree with magic.

"Yeah… uh, about that!" he said.

"I mean, bloody October will be here on _Monday_! This is so unlike you."

"I know," the Potter boy admitted.

"Don't go all Remus on me. Even Pettigrew got a detention yesterday!" Sirius remarked.

"Yeah, for having a spell backfire in Sprout's face. We weren't even supposed to have been using our wands—what was he doing?!" The two teenagers laughed together and a pair of large eyes appeared between a space in the branches.

"Hey, are you even paying attention to the tree? I think I just saw it!" Dorcas declared, walking up to the boys with a few more lizards and a dead bird.

"Not gonna lie—not really." Sirius stated. The class was working in groups of threes to attract Clabberts out of trees in order to study them.

"Well I don't think you're going to have much luck getting it out by waving that lizard around so lamely, Sirius," she commented. James sniggered.

"We were busy discussing important information."

"About what?"

"We are not at will to say." James proclaimed as Sirius took a pair of lizards from the witch and levitated them like his friend was doing.

"Of course you're not." Dorcas said amused, shaking her head. She took the bird and used it as bait.

"Oh! I just saw it! One of the legs, anyway."

"Sure it wasn't one of your relatives Potter?" came a voice. The Gryffindors looked to the left and saw Mulciber, Gates and a Slytherin female nearby at their own tree. Gates and the girl, Eleanor Trivers, were chortling appreciatively and Mulciber wore a scary grin.

"They're back to that again, yeah?" Sirius inquired, staring them down.

"Yeah, and it started at practice," James added, "Whatever."

It was another two minutes before they saw all of the Clabbert, which could no longer resist the food floating around its tree, and Sirius managed to render it immobile as it snatched two of the lizards out of the air.

"It's kind of cute!" Dorcas noted when it was hovering between them. They had a picture of the creature on their parchment (which looked like a monkey-frog) and had to label it.

"Wouldn't fancy being bitten by it, though." James replied, pointing at its razor teeth.

"Hi!" a familiar voice greeted. Michelle walked up to them, watching where she was stepping and her scroll of parchment in her hand.

"Hey." Sirius responded, squinting at the animal.

"All right?" grinned James brightly. It had been some time since he had spoken to her at length.

"Yes." Michelle smiled.

"It's, uh… it's three to a group." Dorcas reported, sounding a tad sorry for the other witch.

"Oh, I finished! Marcus got ours done in a hurry—he knew some kind of weird call," the Ravenclaw revealed.

"Done you say?," Sirius questioned, perking up, "Mind if I take a peek?"

"Or copy!" Dorcas interjected, knowing he wanted to do so.

"What? There are a lot of parts to label!"

"No problem," the blonde giggled, handing over the parchment.

"You're the best!" Sirius exclaimed, opening it. Michelle tucked hair behind her ear and shyly strolled over to James, eyes downcast. His lopsided, adorable grin shone on his face.

"Might as well!..." the Meadowes girl said, looking at the paper on Sirius' left and glancing covertly at the other two.

"Do you want to 'look' as well?" Michelle asked.

"Eh, Sirius will get it for the both of us," assured James.

"So, how were your first practices?"

"Good. We have another tonight, and the Slytherins decided to be our audience on Tuesday."

"Did they?" she wondered, making a face.

"Unfortunately."

More laughter rang out from the Slytherins' vicinity and when they turned to inspect, the saw the Clabbert the snakes had captured had been magicked to flip them off.

"They want more attention now too, apparently." James grumbled.

"Then we'll give them some." Sirius remarked. He whipped back around with his wand and sent a silent spell flying at the Slytherins. It hit Gates right in the abdomen and he fell over with an "oof".

Professor Kettleburn, who had been close enough to see Sirius cast the spell but not close enough to see the gesture that had caused it, shouted from his position next to a group of Hufflepuffs:

"Sirius! I saw that! Detention, young sir!"

Sirius seemed ready to argue this and Mulciber, who had been on the verge of firing back, smirked instead.

"But they!—"

"Black—detention!" the professor commanded. Sirius gave a long, hard sigh before dropping it and going back to his work.

Five minutes before the class ended, the two Marauders explained they were leaving the lesson early.

"Why?" Michelle asked, looking at James. They had spent the last quarter of an hour talking while Sirius and Dorcas went around to other groups socializing. (Their creature had been released back into its tree around that time).

"We've got something we have to take care of. Now. But… it'll all make sense in McGonagall's," he relayed obscurely, grabbing his bag.

"Okay… see you, then."

"Look forward to it." James uttered, winking at her. She blushed as he jogged over to his best friend and handed Dorcas his parchment, second to Sirius.

"Thanks for turning them in for us!" Sirius told her.

"You're up to something." Dorcas stated, wearing a small smile.

"Aren't we always?" the Quidditch captain responded. They then looked around for Kettleburn and, finding him occupied, took a back path back to the castle, walking swiftly.

They got into the castle right as the bell sounded for the end of lessons. Remus and Peter, who had History of Magic, knew to meet them on the second floor immediately after their class let out; there were only 15 minutes between lessons so they had no time to waste. The four boys arrived basically at the same time and saw that the corridor the Transfiguration classroom was down had a number of students in it. They peeped into the classroom and upon seeing it uninhabited except for a pair of fourth years, ambled inside.

"You're gonna have to leave now. McGonagall's already gone!" Sirius informed them.

"I—m-my pack ripped!" the boy answered, caught off guard by the sudden presence of the famous Marauders. Remus pointed his wand at the boy who instantly stiffened, expecting to be hexed.

"There. It's mended," he declared after a moment.

"Goodbye!" James said, motioning to the doorway. The pair hurriedly left, throwing the sixth years glances comprised of awe, fear and humor before they were gone.

"Okay. Peter—go take up your post." Sirius ordered. Peter nodded and hustled out of the room, headed for the entrance of the corridor to be the watchman.

"Moony, if you will? Prongs and I have the doorways," the Black boy continued, drawing his wand. Remus gave an expression that was half grimace, half smile—he was the one inducing the actual Levitation Charm.

He walked out of the room alongside the two others and stood in the middle of the hall preparing to concentrate deeply, for the spell would have to be extensive and strong enough. As Remus began the charm, squinting his eyes and muttering under his breath, James and his best friend started placing Repelling Charms on the doorways. (The boys had made sure to magic themselves so that they were impervious). Professor Flitwick had been slightly baffled when they had come to him with inquiries about whether time spells could have limits to accompany them, but was more than happy to supply curious students with knowledge, unaware of their intentions for it. It turned out spells could be manipulated to initiate or terminate at a given time and the Marauders were glad of this, since they wanted to wait for it to take effect a few minutes before class.

"Er, no! No—you can't! Not yet," they heard Peter say as Remus finished his enchantment.

"Why not?" a more distant voice challenged. It sounded irritated.

"Because! Someone… let off a Dungbomb! It's pretty bad. I'm warning everyone."

The other student groaned and apparently marched in another direction. Peter looked back at them as Remus helped to cast spells on the doorways.

"Almost done?" the Pettigrew boy pondered.

"It hasn't been that long!" Sirius replied.

"No, but that's the second person I had to turn away. It's gonna get harder. Professors will start showing up soon!"

"Give us about 30 more seconds, will you?" James said impatiently, charming his third doorway.

"Clear!" Sirius called when they completed their tasks, going back to the Transfiguration classroom. Remus and James followed with Peter being the last to return.

"Now to wait!" exhaled Sirius, glancing at his watch.

"It's weird being here this early." Peter noted, looking around uncertainly at the empty room.

"I'm sure McGonagall will feel the same way when she sees us." Remus postulated.

Sure enough, when the teacher walked into the room not two minutes later with three of their classmates behind her, she was undeniably surprised.

"What are you four doing here?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"We're in your class, Professor!" James attested cheerfully. This was met by a small frown.

"Clever, Potter. What I mean is why are you here so early? You lot make it a rule to wait until the last possible minute," the professor explained.

"We wanted to talk without prying ears, ma'am," smiled Sirius, hands folded in front of him.

"Is it anything I will most definitely find out about later? Say, as you boys are sitting in Professor Dumbledore's office, awaiting punishment?"

"Professor!," gasped James, mouth agape, "We have been good so far this term! As our Head of House, don't we deserve the benefit of the doubt?!"

"It appears you have been tame so far," she responded, "And it is be_cause_ I am your Head that I do _not_ give you the benefit, my dear students." Sirius laughed and Remus grinned.

"That was too rich," the Black boy chuckled. McGonagall seemed to hide a diminutive smile of her own before turning to look at Remus.

"Mr. Lupin?"

He froze somewhat and looked back at her, knowing she expected some truthful information out of him.

"We're… fine, Professor. We're good!" he told her, peering briefly at his friends. She studied them, the gears of her mind practically audible as she thought, before uttering (as she gathered the lesson's notes):

"Very well."

Four minutes before class began, all of the sixth year Slytherin males, albeit Rosier, walked into the classroom.

"Damn it!," Sirius growled as he watched them head for their customary side of the room, "They came too early!" James nodded, disappointed—they would not be seeing floating Slytherins it seemed.

Lily, Dorcas and Marlene came in not very long afterward with a pair of other students and Peter looked wildly at his friends, partially amused; Alice, Frank and Mary were still absent and would inevitably be participants in the prank, since the event was right upon them. Conversely, moments later with a classroom that was still missing a noticeable amount of people, voices began filling the hallway. They sounded joyful and initially pleased, but then traces of surprise and finally vexation could be detected as well.

McGonagall looked to the doorway when the voices grew louder, as if multiplying, and so did most of her students. The Marauders snickered to themselves but pretended to be ignorant like everyone else. It was not until someone declared, "Help—I can't stop!" that the Transfiguration teacher showed signs of wanting to investigate, and when a body visibly floated by the entrance, she cried out:

"What in Merlin?!" McGonagall hurried to the door with the rest of the now excited class right on her heels. The Gryffindor boys were at the forefront of the group, big grins plastered on their faces.

Outside were multiple levitating kids, some with outstretched arms, some with shocked expressions, and some attempting to perform magic on themselves. The other professors and students in their classrooms on the corridor were looking from their doorways as well to see what the commotion was all about.

"We can't get down!" a girl told McGonagall as she drifted by, eyes wide.

"We were just walking and then, _bam_!" a boy said to his own teacher a little ways down.

"Longbottom!" McGonagall stated, shocked upon seeing her pupil.

"Professor! We can't get into the rooms! They're like repellants." Frank informed, trying to reach for a wall to cease his movement.

"Frank!" gasped Marlene.

"Frank!" shouted Sirius, laughing heartily with his roommates.

"_Alice_! Mary!" Lily noted, spotting her dorm mates. Mary appeared disgruntled, trying to grab Alice's hand _and_ perform magic that would counter the charm, but Alice appeared to be enjoying herself somewhat.

"Can you get us down now?!" Rosier wondered forcefully, speaking to the Ancient Runes professor and hovering with crossed arms. Upon seeing him, the Marauders broke into mirthful peals of laughter which earned them menacing glares from the prefect's Housemates; even the Gryffindor girls sniggered quietly.

A professor ventured out into the hallway along with two brave students to help get victims back on the stone ground, but when McGonagall prepared to step out with the Ancient Runes instructor, James bit back his laughter and remarked:

"Er—Professor!"

"What Po—" she began, aggravated. Seconds later, the four who had stepped out were lifted off their feet to join those in the air. The watching students laughed harder.

"Minerva! It's a strong Levitation Charm," the first professor relayed, inhaling and pitching his arms out (and accidentally losing his wand in the process).

"We _can't_ get in the doors!" the Runes teacher commented, striving to get into hers and being thrown away from it.

"Oh dear!" McGonagall said, peering at the floating witches and wizards.

"Someone get Flitwick!" Mary insisted. At her voice, the Slytherins laughed mockingly.

"No, no! We can handle it! Let's get them down then un-enchant the doorways. I'll remove the corridor's charm," she explained, speaking to the remaining teachers. Spells and glows then commenced and McGonagall waved her wand across the stretch of floor she could reach without stepping out, concentrating. As people slowly began to descend to the floor, the Animagus professor left her room to perform the anti-spell on the rest of the corridor. Alice was one of the first ones down and strolled into the room, beaming.

"Well that was a rather fun surprise," she noted.

"Ugh! Speak for yourself." Mary replied, walking in a little afterward.

"You really don't know what will happen one day to the next at Hogwarts, do you?" Marlene said to Lily, smiling a bit. A group of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs in the room were speaking with each other and looking knowingly at the Marauders, including Michelle and Fiona.

"Was it really that fascinating to watch?," Rosier demanded, stalking into the classroom and leering at his standing peers, grumpy from the interlude, "Bunch of twits…"

"No, we were just having wonderful memories of the lake scene in June! Glad to see another Slytherin up in the air!" Dorcas retorted.

There was an intake of breath at her words, and Snape's mouth had opened slightly. The Gryffindor boys looked alarmed, as did Lily. Frank then walked into the room with a few other students ahead of McGonagall, who shut her door behind her and briskly stated:

"Seats please! Now that that situation is done with, we have a lesson to get to! Page 112 in your books." Her pupils began preparing for the impending lecture and as the Slytherins went back to their desks, Avery muttered to the others:

"Time to strike again, I think."

Severus gave a mutinous, curt nod.

* * *

By the end of the day the rest of the school knew of the second floor corridor incident and attributed it to the four kids who constantly ensured surprises would happen within the castle. The night brought Quidditch practice for the Gryffindor team and rounds for the Gryffindor prefects.

"So did you talk to Crimps about four practices a week? What'd she say?" Kirby asked when James walked into the locker room at seven o'clock in the evening, Sirius alongside him eating a sweet bun from dessert.

"She's a cow," the captain answered, going to his locker.

"James!" laughed Amy, shocked.

"That's code for 'she said no'." Sirius revealed, grinning. At the sound of his voice, Elizabeth's head, which had been buried in her locker searching for a hair tie, shot out. When she saw it was indeed him, a blush came to her cheeks and she fought back a smile; Elizabeth was one of the witches completely smitten with Sirius, and when he was not around she functioned extremely well.

"_Three a week, Potter—maximum, for everyone! If you want extra time schedule practice on the weekend! I'm sorry_." James said, mimicking the Quidditch teacher.

"_No, your smile won't work on me so don't even try it. And no! I do _not_ accept bribes!_" added Sirius. The team laughed.

"Three a week is great," commented Rodrigo, glad of not having the extra day.

"I'll plan weekend practices, don't think I won't!" James told them, closing his locker and grabbing the whistle. This information was met with a couple of small groans.

"Out on the pitch!" Sirius ordered, waving them towards the door.

"Watch it, Black." Dorcas advised as the team all got up and exited the room.

"Oh, it's the Slytherins. _Again_." Mitchell noted when they were out on the field. The eight of them looked (Elizabeth broken from stealing glances at Sirius' back) and, sure enough, the snakes were loitering near the stands. They had been at every Gryffindor practice so far that week.

"Ah come off it!" shouted Rodrigo, frustrated.

"That's it. I'm going to say something to them," James announced, clenching his teeth, "This has _got_ to be spying by now!"

"Don't get in a duel!" warned Elizabeth, finally speaking.

"I won't. I'll take Sirius with me to make sure I stay in line."

"Oh, yes, because he's such a peacemaker! Especially when it's the Slytherins!" Amy commented as the two best friends marched over to the group with firm countenances.

"Get off the pitch." James steely demanded when they had come face to face with the intruders. The snakes seemed to give a collective sneer in response.

"This is a free country! Who are you to tell us what to do Potter?" inquired the seventh year Cooper.

"Just one pissed off, wand happy captain!"

"Wand happy? Is that supposed to intimidate us?" pondered Avery.

"I don't care if it does or doesn't, but at this point you sodding prats are spying so you need to leave," the captain heatedly explained.

"Spy? For what? To guarantee that we lose?" Regulus leered.

"No, you arses cover that yourselves pretty nicely." Sirius offered. His brother shot him a hateful glare.

"Go away or I will report you." James informed, clearly trying to keep himself calm.

"Aaaw—ittle Potty would run and tell big ol' Dumbledore or McGonagall on us?" Mulciber wondered.

"Just short of killing you, yes." Sirius answered. His hand gripped his wand and appeared to be itching to raise it; Mulciber seemed as if he wanted him to.

"Try it," he savagely ordered. Before anyone could say or do anything in response, Rosier put a hand on Mulciber's arm and said:

"Let _us_ be the bigger House here—we'll go. If Captain Potter doesn't want us around his spectacular team, so be it. Don't want to see him cry over it."

James looked taken aback but still managed to wear the fierce expression. The blond prefect smirked at the two before he and his peers turned to leave, amid mutinous mutters and snickers.

"Wankers," sighed Sirius.

"Come on." James noted, shaking his head as they went back to the Quidditch team.

"No one had to be jinxed?" Kirby questioned when they arrived back.

"Nah—they left," the Potter boy remarked.

"Damn." Dorcas mumbled under her breath. Amy giggled.

"Anyway, three laps like usual to start off. Mitchell, when I let the Snitch out later d'you think you'll be up for trying the move?"

"Sure," the third year confirmed.

"Great. Even if you don't catch it, the more practice the better. But, right. Up in the air!"

The whistle was blown and moments later the seven players were in the sky. Sirius conjured up a lawn chair and sat down in the middle of the field, watching his Housemates fly around the stadium. After the laps James called for his best friend to release the balls, who complied and was soon watching the actual practice begin. The Chasers practiced three plays of passing and scoring against Elizabeth, who was slightly off because she would occasionally peer down at Sirius in his chair. Kirby and Rodrigo flew around batting away the Bludgers and Mitchell skewered the pitch for the winged ball while staying out of the way of the black ones.

"Amy, just pick your speed up a bit to catch up with Dorcas and she won't have to throw her arm at that angle—that's it," coached James, as he hovered near the other Chasers. Amy caught the ball and crouched low, flying towards Elizabeth; she flew upward when she reached the hoop and hurled the Quaffle in, past the Keeper.

"Nice Dunesfield!," he stated, "You all right today, Lizzie?"

"I'm fine," Elizabeth replied, blushing a tad.

"Okay…. Mitchell," He turned to find the Seeker, "Since it hasn't shown yet just practice the move, yeah?"

"Yeah!" came the nodded reply.

"And Beaters—uh, Dorcas—," started James, "Why are you flying like that?" The witch was moving slowly but very jerkily, and had a big frown on her face.

"I don't know! My broom just started acting dodgy," she reported, trying her hardest to steer it.

"What James?" Rodrigo interjected, inquiring about what he begun to say.

"Er… try the Backbeat," the captain relayed, taking his attention away from Dorcas, "It's a brilliant move."

"Right," said Kirby.

"Elizabeth, I'd say to try the Double Eight Loop, but you're kind of off so far. We'll play a bit longer before we go there." The Keeper seemed both abashed and somewhat embarrassed, but before she could say anything a yell of dismay uttered from one of her teammates. The rest looked to see Dorcas now flying completely erratically, holding on tightly to a ferocious, bucking broom.

"Dorcas?!" shouted Kirby.

"I c-can't control i-it! It won't s-stop!" she revealed, now looking scared. It gave a sudden burst of dangerous speed, twitching madly, and the witch screamed.

"Help!!"

Amy and Elizabeth gasped, worried, and down on the ground Sirius had shot up from his seat, concerned. James, however, grabbed his handle and took off after his fellow teammate without really thinking about it. He followed her sporadic path and when he was close enough he attempted to grab the tail of the broom. It turned sharply to the right and out of his grasp, causing its rider to cry out again. He clenched his teeth and chased after it, determined to get to her before she was thrown off to the grass below. The other lions had tried to cease it with their wands by now but to no avail—it was non-responsive to magic. James finally reached Dorcas again but this time flew to the front of the broom, and with one hand securely gripping his broom, he clenched her handle. It was bucking so wildly that the force of it resulted in James moving with it, having a very difficult time holding onto it.

"Dorcas I need your hand—you're getting on my broom," he told her, biting down on his teeth as he struggled to hold on.

"How?! You don't have a free one!" she pointed out breathlessly.

"Good point! So… grab onto my arm—my arm! Climb upfront!"

She hesitated, not liking the idea of moving from one spot to another under such unstable conditions, but when her broom swerved violently to the left, Dorcas put aside her reticence. In one movement she propelled herself from her broom to his, clutching both of his forearms and closing her eyes out of fear. James let go of her broom the minute he felt she was safely on his and it flew off at an extremely high speed to a location unknown.

"Do you think it'll come back?!" Dorcas asked fretfully, watching it. They were facing each other and she had one arm holding his waist for security.

"Do you want it to?" James pondered.

"Well it went completely mental but it's my only broom, James!"

"Oh, yeah… well, maybe it'll get caught in a tree somewhere and then you can get it. Or maybe if we tell a professor they can—" But she did not appear to be mollified; indeed, she looked upset.

"Well, let's get back to the ground. You can use one of the school's for now," he murmured. He wrapped his left arm around her then headed for the grass and Sirius, motioning for his teammates to follow when he passed them.

Consequently, Sirius was gone when they touched down though his chair still stood.

"Where'd he go?" wondered Amy.

"Dunno—he was here not that long ago." James answered as he and Dorcas climbed off his broom.

"You okay Dorcas?" Elizabeth inquired, rushing up to her.

"Yeah," added Rodrigo, following.

"It was scary but I'm fine," the Chaser relayed, "I don't understand it! It happened out of nowhere!"

"Wicked flying, James. Well done," congratulated Kirby. Mitchell and Amy nodded in agreement.

"What was I supposed to do? We can't play without a Chaser," he quipped, shrugging and smiling a bit. Dorcas looked at him, contemplating.

"Hey!" someone called. The team turned and saw Sirius trotting up to them with his wand drawn.

"Where'd you go?" his best friend questioned.

"After the perpetrators," the Black boy replied gruffly.

"The per?..." started Mitchell.

"Slytherins," Sirius said, "They hexed Dorcas' broom."

"What?!"

"No!" Amy stated.

"Yep. I heard laughter behind me right after her broom took off and I saw them at the bottom of the stands watching; Avery had his wand out and was smiling. I went for them and they all ran off. I couldn't find one—it's like the tossers Disapparated!"

"So they thought killing Dorcas would be funny?!" James angrily wondered.

"That's serious—they could've hurt her!," Elizabeth claimed, "We have to tell someone."

"We have no witnesses. It'd be our word against theirs, and the professors don't think either of us is exactly innocent," grumbled Sirius with folded arms. She started, surprised at being answered by her object of love, and tried not to blush.

"It's up to Dorcas, but we could try," the captain alerted.

"No," Dorcas sighed, "Just forget it. I can get them back on my own time, maybe with Marauder help?"

"It's yours, love," grinned Sirius. A couple laughed.

"So we only got through 20 minutes but maybe that's enough for today. Practice is over." James announced.

"Great!" smiled Kirby.

"Great? I don't think so. That means homework," exhaled Amy as the eight of them started back to the locker room.

"James," Dorcas commenced, pulling his right arm's sleeve. He looked around at her, "Thank you, for helping me. Not letting me plummet to my death. Really."

"Of course, Dorcas. It wasn't even a question. I'm just glad you're okay," he responded. She gave him a radiant smile.

When the team walked back into the common room, the sixth years saw their friends all present except for the lovely couple Frank and Alice.

"What's up? Why are you lot back so early?" Marlene asked, checking her watch when Dorcas strolled up to the girls.

"Well, since the Slytherins decided to take a shot at my life, we thought we'd end before scheduled," she nonchalantly commented.

"A shot at your life?!" Mary repeated, bewildered.

"What happened?!" Lily demanded, putting her textbook down.

"The bastards hexed her broom." Sirius loudly reported. He and James had joined the other half of their troupe in armchairs, whom were not far from the girls.

"Yeah, it was like riding a hippogriff with rabies. My broom is currently Merlin knows where," sighed Dorcas.

"They had the nerve to show up at your practice and attack you?" the red head remarked.

"And only me. Maybe I hurt their feelings in Transfiguration when I mentioned the lake thing."

"It's about time they got over it!" Mary deemed, brows furrowed.

"Too right Macdonald!" James vocalized.

"But you're okay, Dorcas?" Marlene asked, concern apparent in her tone.

"Yeah—you're all right?" Peter added from his seat.

"Emotionally upset about my broom, but physically fine. Thanks in part, or in whole, to the dear captain," she noted, looking at him appreciatively. The others looked as well.

"What do you mean?" inquired Remus.

"He rescued me from my broom before it could put me in the Hospital Wing for the rest of sixth year," Dorcas interjected before James could respond, "Took me onto his."

"Ooh! Like a knight in shining Quidditch robes!" smiled Marlene dreamily.

"Exactly!" laughed the Meadowes girl. Lily peered at the Potter boy curiously.

"Hey, I like that!," grinned James, "Shining Quidditch robes!..."

"You would," smirked Mary. Lily half smiled, taking her undetected gaze away from him.

"And me?" Sirius wondered, scoffing.

"Oh—yes! And Sirius of course, who chased after them in my honor." Dorcas corrected, gesturing to him.

"Just as noble." Marlene smiled.

"Thank you!" he said.

"Did you catch them?" Remus questioned.

"Well, no. There were too many—went in separate directions."

His peers laughed in good faith.

* * *

A/N: So I promise there will be Lily/James interaction in the next chapter, ha ha ha. You may be thinking, 'Finally!'.


	12. The Truce of the Century

A/N: This chapter seems so short to me for some reason... go figure! Anyway, here you are FF readers!

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 12 **

Dorcas ended up telling McGonagall and Crimps about her broom dilemma the next morning at breakfast, in hopes that they would be able to find and retrieve it. She told them that it had merely gone berserk, leaving out the fact that it had been because of her rival House; they told her they would do their best in locating it.

After a good Charms lesson in which Lily had successfully performed the incantation of they day on the second attempt, she arrived in Transfiguration to learn that they would be completing an assignment in pairs that day. The instant McGonagall said those words students commenced partnering themselves up, and Lily herself indeed had turned to her roommates, but the Animagus quickly clarified.

"Your partners will be selected _for _you today, so you can save yourselves the trouble." There was definite grumbling over this but it died away upon the look she gave the students. McGonagall tapped her roll call parchment and the names began moving about, connecting themselves to other names; she read the pairs off.

"Bowyer and Houston, Waite and Farrell, Snape and Pettigrew, Parks and Royce, Lupin and Hamilton, Denton and Longbottom, Meadowes and Gates, Potter and Evans…"

Lily felt her mouth fall open somewhat, feeling like she had been blindsided. She was working with Potter?! Okay, so this currently _may_ have not been such a grisly travesty—he was keeping his distance from her and appeared to have truly diverted his attention elsewhere, but she still felt well conditioned apprehension at having to be exclusively with him. What if he instinctively went back to his old ways?! Lily looked at James to see his reaction to his partner for the day: he was murmuring things to Peter Pettigrew who sat in front of him and looked scared. Sirius Black was nodding in agreement though gazing darkly at the other side of the room at Snape, who seemed disgusted at the revelations of partners.

"Pair up! You will find your instructions on the board." McGonagall announced when she had finished reading the names. The students got up from their seats to switch places with one another and be seated next to their partners.

"It's all right Peter—McGonagall is in the same room." Remus notified as his friend gazed over at Snape. (Severus was glaring at him, rooted obstinately in his seat).

"That's never stopped them before." Peter mumbled, picking up his wand and textbook and preparing to leave.

"Come on Pete," Dorcas said, walking up to his table and frowning directly at her Slytherin partner, "I'm not in the mood for getting detention because I hexed a classmate, but I will if I have to."

"Marauders' speed," bid Sirius as they left, with Peter now smiling a tad. He then looked at his best friend as Marcus took the empty seat next to Remus, "Oy, you're gonna move with Evans?"

"I don't feel like getting up," James remarked, reading the instructions on the chalkboard, "She can come here." The Black boy half grinned and opened his mouth to reply, but before it could come out Fiona approached the table.

"Sirius…" she commenced, sounding sad and worried. The Ravenclaw threw a gaze at Mulciber, with whom she was meant to work.

"If he so much as _breathes_ on you, I'll jump in," he guaranteed, standing up to meet her and find his own partner. Sirius then looked to Lily and pointed at his vacant seat, "All yours, Evans!"

Lily glanced at him, his empty chair and then her desk buddy, Alice. The pureblood gave her an encouraging mini smile and shrug, as if to say "it won't be awful". The red head exhaled then grabbed her wand, allowing Alice's Hufflepuff partner who had been standing near to take her seat.

Lily strode swiftly over to James' table but when it came time to sit down next to him, she was reticent. She inwardly sighed, shut her eyes and plopped down; when she opened them the first thing she witnessed was the Potter boy grin superiorly and ruffle his damn hair. _He was back at it_! The Muggleborn felt something familiar inside her shoot on and she prepared to say something very smart to the boy, but when she realized he was not even looking at her it died. Lily looked to where he was peering and saw Michelle walking by—she was smiling at him, and from the corner of Lily's eye she saw James wink at her. Oh. Well. That was… a pleasant change. He had been his old self, yes, but not towards her, so that was good….

"Okay, so, Potter…," she initiated, turning to the appropriate section in her book. He turned to her, eyebrows raised.

"Evans." James stated evenly. The professor then arrived at the table and dropped three napkins on the surface before moving on. They were what they would be working with.

"So…," Lily said, looking at the board's directions, "We're turning these napkins into a nine piece tea set?"

"Yep."

"The exact one in the book?" she pondered, studying the picture.

"Yep," he noted again.

"Looks intricate." The tea set's design was very elaborate, down to the curves on the silver spoon's handle. It was not going to be an easy task from the looks of it.

James gave a short shrug in response, eyes glued on the parchment on which he was writing. Lily glanced at him when she did not get a verbal answer; he kept on whatever he was doing. Her gaze flickered elsewhere when she felt someone watching and caught Snape jerkily pulling his book towards him and point roughly to something for Peter—he had been staring at her, or them. A voice cleared its throat nearby and when she looked up she saw Marcus at the table ahead of her, grinning back. Lily gave a small, happy smile in return then tried again with her partner.

"So, erm… shall we start?"

"I suppose," James exhaled, straightening up and seizing his wand, "D'you want to break it up?"

"Uh, sure. That'd work," she agreed.

"Right. I'll do the kettle and silverware and you do the cups and saucers."

"Okay."

Nothing more was said between them for the next 20 minutes as they worked on their individuals tasks except for an inquiry from James if she was "getting it" ten minutes after they had begun. The rest of the class was humming quietly from conversation between pairs but this one was the exception. How funny it was that James would have killed for the opportunity to work with Lily in the past and would have undoubtedly talked her ear off, a fact that the witch recognized. Conversely, James completed his part of the assignment before she did and without any sign of struggle.

"How are you coming along?" he questioned as the picture perfect green, black and white kettle sat before him, alongside the gleaming silverware.

"You finished?" Lily replied, gaping at his work. This was supposed to take them the entire class period!

"Yes. Took 20 minutes, but those details on the dishes _are _complex. How about you?" To be honest, she was having somewhat of a hard time. She had managed to transfigure the white saucers and cups, but she had yet to add the other colors or designs; the details _were_ intricate and required a lot of mental attention (and magic).

"Oh. Well… I'm…" she timidly began. James moved his head to peer at her progress.

"You need help, Evans," he noted, looking at her. His statement sounded like both a declaration and question, and she felt sudden embarrassment and resentment flush her cheeks.

"I'm not doing that badly! I've shaped the cups and saucers!," Lily insisted hotly, "Just because _you_ must be the first to finish this early!..." James simply gazed at her with an eyebrow raised then mentioned:

"It was just an observation, not to take your mickey or anything. Geez, Evans." He pulled the parchment from earlier back towards him and Lily felt herself begin to deflate. Now she felt foolish…. Why was she still going on defense so rapidly with Potter? She had to truly remind herself that something within him, for whatever reason, had altered, allowing her to breathe!

"I…," she slowly commenced, staring at the dishes instead of him, "I suppose I _am_ going slower than I would like. Like you said, the details are difficult." James glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, ceasing his quill's movement.

"So, would you like help? I _am_ your partner," he said, "It's my mark too."

"Yes." Lily sighed.

"Well…," James began, examining her work, "Everything's correct so far."

"Yeah, I started on the designs but they're so complicated! It's annoying and tedious."

"I'll do one—show you how I do it. You can follow me, if you want."

"Okay," she agreed as he took a cup and saucer.

They spent the next couple of minutes adding the green, black and patterns, with James doing it first and Lily following his lead. He showed her the proper wand movements and spells but did it quickly, leaving her to unconsciously marvel at how talented he was at transfiguring.

"Right. I think we've got it all," he stated, picking the dishes up and looking them over when they were done. She smiled to herself, spinning a cup on the desk and peering around at her classmates: nearly everyone else was still working.

"And with extra time," the red head commented. For a fleeting moment she considered telling him how good he was at Transfiguration but it died when the fear that he would respond arrogantly surfaced.

"Which works out." James replied, looking to the left side of the room. He then got up form his seat and moved over to Sirius and his partner who happened to be Emma Seigal, his ex-girlfriend. The Black boy, who was finished with his tea set as well, welcomed his best friend jovially; Emma smiled.

Lily watched his abrupt departure a bit taken aback. Well! That had been totally unannounced and slightly rude. She turned back to their tea set, looking at the dishes. Hopefully one of her friends would finish soon so she would not be alone, or Marcus…. McGonagall then approached her table.

"Ms. Evans, where is Potter?" she asked sharply. The Muggleborn pointed to his new location.

"Why am I not surprised?," the professor said, rolling her eyes, "Have you finished?"

"Yes." Lily answered. McGonagall swooped up a cup and closely inspected it, a small frown on her face. She then picked up a spoon and the kettle.

"Mmm…. Flawless," she sighed, setting everything down and pushing her glasses up. The red head smiled, "Leave the set on my desk." Lily nodded as the professor marched over to Sirius, James and Emma. She exhaled and looked wistfully to her friends, resting her chin on her left hand.

The weekend brought the end of September and the usual amount of homework. Sirius spent Saturday night with Fiona somewhere in the castle, James ate lunch with Michelle and then they walked the lake's bank, and Lily spent a couple of hours with Marcus on Sunday. On Sunday night, the three Gryffindors all received notes from Slughorn reminding them about the next night's Slug Club meeting. The boys were looking forward to it but the witch was not.

"So don't go." Mary advised, sitting on her four poster reading a textbook.

"I might as well get it over with. I really _can't_ hide from him for the next two years. I can make it the first and possibly last one I attend." Lily noted.

"Will there be anyone there you know?" pondered Alice, playing with Autumn.

"Know? Yes. Like? I'm not sure."

And so, on the first day of October at almost eight o'clock at night, Lily left the common room and grudgingly made her way to the dungeons by herself. (She had not seen Black and Potter leave for the meeting but she had been in her room writing to her parents before that). When she arrived at Slughorn's office the door was open and the buzz of quiet talking could be heard. Lily popped her head into the room and saw the professor speaking animatedly with Tavia Denton, who held a cup of punch; her two fellow sixth year lions were by the food table and there was a group of Slytherins packed together.

"Aah! Lily! Come in, m'dear, come in!" Slughorn hailed, grinning. Nearly everyone present stopped to look at the new arrival, "Well, we're only missing one now so I suppose we can start! It _is_ eight o'clock!" Lily walked in as the professor magically summoned chairs for everyone to sit and positioned them in a circle.

She surveyed the other students in the room as she stood uncertainly near the entrance to determine who she could converse with and sit next to, if anyone at all. There was a fourth Gryffindor there but a fourth year, a girl named Jessica Langston, who happened to smile at the red head in acknowledgement. Snape was there with Rosier, Regulus Black and a fifth year female Slytherin, and the Ravenclaws had Tavia, a seventh year boy and a fourth year boy. There were only two Hufflepuffs present, both of whom were upper-year girls, but one was the Head Girl: Melody Britches. Well, that would do rather nicely—she could sit in between Melody and possibly Jessica.

"Didn't know you were in the Slug Club, Melody!," Lily smiled as she strolled over to her, "All right?"

"Hello Lily!," came the happy response, "Yeah, he started targeting me last year and I gave in pretty quickly. I heard he served sweets—I'm a sap for them!"

"D'you mind if I sit next to you?"

"Oh, of course not! You should know this by now! Right, though. Lily, this is Dawn Hughes, a fifth year." Melody noted, introducing the other Hufflepuff.

"I know who you are. Hiya." Dawn greeted shyly.

"Hello." Lily responded sweetly.

They sat down as everyone else began to and Lily sat on Melody's right, which left room for Jessica to sit down on her right. James and Sirius sat on the opposite side of the circle of Lily and the latter gave her a large, goofy grin of greeting while he stared at her. She looked away in case he had his attention on someone else but when she peered back Sirius still had his gaze, and grin, set on her. Why was he being so weird? Lily offered up a confused, shaky half smile in return and Sirius laughed, nodding at her before turning to James. The Slytherins sat in the chairs closest to their Head of House.

"I can't _believe_ he invited Sirius!" Regulus complained to Severus, glowering at his brother with crossed arms.

"Of course you can. You know he enjoys sets, and that dolt is a part of your set. The infamous Blacks." Snape reported, stealing a glance at Lily from the safety of the distance between them. He had initially been rooted on Friday in Transfiguration when it was announced Lily would be partnered with Potter, that twit's fantasy come true, but he relaxed when he remembered that Lily at least still hated the boy as much as he did.

"Welcome all, welcome all!," Slughorn beamed, hushing them without trying, "The first meeting of the year and with all of my desired members present! A splendid first!"

"Bloody _marvelous_." Lily muttered jokingly. The Head Girl laughed silently.

"So for this meeting I would like you to introduce yourselves so you are aware of one another, though I'm sure many of you already know your peers. Tell us everything! Your likes, dislikes, strengths, accomplishments, family backgrounds!"

"Just our basic life story, then?" James wondered. About half of the room laughed.

"Yes, very clever Mr. Potter," the professor chuckled himself, "Perhaps you would like to start us off?"

"Why not?," he smiled, as though accepting a challenge, "Right then! I'm James, though I'm sure _all _of you know that. I like fun, food and Quidditch. I don't like liars and cowards. My strengths are having fun, eating food and playing Quidditch. And if you want my family history, all you have to do is go look it up in a wizard lineage book." His report left many faces in the room smiling, including Slughorn's.

"I'll go next!," Sirius volunteered, shooting a hand up, "Okay. Well, take exactly what he said, but switch the name from 'James' to 'Most Wicked Wizard Ever'… or Sirius. Whichever works." Everyone in the circle laughed except the Slytherins, and even Lily found herself joining in, glancing from Sirius to James briefly.

"Thank you boys—thorough self disclosures!," chortled Slughorn, "Who's next?"

A rushed looking boy then hurried into the office and, upon seeing everyone seated and gazing at him, flushed.

"Ah—Mr. Walberry! There you are! Take a seat, perhaps next to your fellow Hufflepuffs? And if you'd be so brave to tell us about yourself—likes, dislikes, along those lines," the professor commented.

It seemed as though Slughorn had something to say for nearly everyone's introductions, going off one fact or statement and somehow connecting it to himself or his past experiences. (The man knew a lot of people). When it came to the Slytherins they all spoke except for Snape; Regulus spoke proudly and rather extensively about his family, which earned him a hard glare from his brother the entire time he spoke, and Slughorn giddily pointed out that the two were siblings. Rosier spoke haughtily of his family as well and the Gryffindor boys looked very bored throughout his speech.

"Thank you Evan—enlightening. I _must_ write your grandfather; it's been too long," the professor remarked, "Now, Mr. Snape?" As the students looked to Severus, he looked to his Head disbelievingly with still folded arms.

"Honor us with some information about yourself?" the man prompted. Sirius snickered quietly and mouthed "Honor? Please!" to his best friend while Lily gazed coldly at her ex-friend.

"Oh, come now Severus m'boy!" Slughorn said. James smirked knowingly at Sirius and Snape just so happened to see it.

"Fine," he harshly started, "I come from the proud pureblood family of Princes, and I dislike arrogant show offs." While saying this last part of his sentence he stared pointedly at his two rivals, who certainly did not miss the reference.

"Severus is also a very skilled potions apprentice and is well on his way to becoming a potions master!" the professor announced. A small whistle then sounded from somewhere in the room and Slughorn clicked his tongue.

"It's nine o'clock already! The end of our meeting for today, I'm afraid," he told them, "We regretfully did not get to you Roger, or you Dawn, but there is always next time! Now, I make a point to have two meetings a month and for October I always host a Halloween party, so I delight in seeing you all on the 31st. Expect to receive invitations closer to the day. To your dormitories, to your dormitories!"

"Should we give Evans a little gift? Or the Daft brothers?" Rosier muttered to Snape as they stood.

"Not with Slughorn so close," he responded, though he would have liked to fight the boys.

"I've got rounds later, wonderful!," Melody sighed, throwing her hair back, "But I'll see you later, Lily."

"Bye Melody," the red head called while the Hufflepuffs left together

Lily peered around and saw James and Sirius back at the snack table grabbing a few things before they left for Gryffindor Tower, speaking spiritedly like usual. Maybe she could walk back with them… they were going to the same place…. She considered it before realizing just _whom_ she was contemplating strolling the corridors with. This was Potter and Black here! What was with Lily lately?

"Lily, would you want to go back with me?" someone asked. The witch looked and saw Jessica standing there, appearing hopeful.

"Yes," the sixteen year old smiled.

* * *

The Gryffindor Quidditch team practiced again on Tuesday without visits from the Slytherins (Remus had been asked to go as well, just in case), and had a break Wednesday evening. Dorcas' broom had not been found, much to her disappointment, and so she was forced to use one of Hogwarts'. That day during her first free period, Lily went to the Owlery to finally mail that letter to her parents and brought Marlene with her for company.

"So have you kissed him yet?" the pureblood inquired, smiling cheekily.

"What are you talking about, 'kissed him yet'?" Lily answered, laughing a bit.

"You've been spending time with Marcus, Lily, don't play daft!"

"Yes! And? That doesn't mean anything. Or at least not that we're suddenly going out."

"So you don't find him remotely attractive?" Marlene pondered.

"I didn't say that," Lily informed, smirking somewhat, "We just haven't kissed. We're not there yet, you know? We're just getting to know each other better right now… though, he's pretty open about saying how he feels about me."

"Well good. You deserve to be fancied by a decent wizard!"

"And what about you, Ms. McKinnon?"

"What about me?" she questioned.

"You don't deserve the same? I _know_ there are blokes in this school who would love to go out with you!" the red head asserted.

"Maybe… but none of them, if they do exist, are…"

"Are what?" Lily looked pointedly at her friend, wanting her to finish the sentence and feeling as though she might know where it was headed.

"Well… there _is_ Bruce Bowyer, the Ravenclaw, you know? He's nice, and rather good looking." Marlene commented, effectively avoiding the prior subject. Lily "hmphed" to herself, hiding a tiny smile.

When the girls arrived at the Owlery they automatically heard boys' voice coming from the inside.

"… that again!" one of the wizards finished saying as the two witches approached.

"Right? It was completely mental," another replied, scoffing and chuckling at the same time. The girls looked at each other—that had been Sirius, which meant he was more likely than not with the Marauders.

"I can't believe this is the first time you've written to your parents all term, James," they heard Remus say.

"Once a month is perfect. Honestly, what all do I have to say to them? 'Dear Mum and Dad, this morning I had a cup of tea and saw a first year pick his nose'," he responded, "Hope all is well at home!" Marlene looked to Lily, asking her with her eyes if they should go in. The prefect bit her lip, deciding if they should barge in now or stay outside, and possibly leave.

"Do you still write to them about our pranks?" Peter questioned.

"Not since third year when Mum thought they were becoming too common. Now I just keep a running log and share it with my dad during holidays." James observed. This was getting interesting… perhaps they should just stay put.

"Have you stopped writing about Evans too, then?" Lily's head shot up and she gaped at Marlene, whose eyes had widened. Oh, they were most definitely staying put now!

There were light sniggers.

"Do we have to bring Evans into this?" sighed James.

"Well you used to write about her!" Peter testified.

"Dear Mum and Dad," Sirius commenced, "I asked that Lily girl out again for the 90th time this week. This time she said no by setting my robes on fire." He and Peter then laughed; Lily looked at her friend exasperatedly.

"I haven't mentioned her to them in awhile, okay?!" James asserted.

"Or to us, for that matter." Remus interjected.

"Yeah, talk about unusual. It's been like four weeks!," the Black boy chuckled, having stopped laughing fully.

"It _is_ hard to wrap around Prongs, after three years of constant—" Peter began.

"Evans mania." Sirius finished. There were snickers and even Marlene smiled apologetically at Lily.

"So you've _really_ given up on her? After all this time?" Remus marveled. There was silence (during which James actually shrugged) and Lily gazed intently inside the bit of Owlery she could actually see.

"It may be sudden, but, it's probably overdue." James noted.

"Well what triggered it? I mean, you've steered clear of Evans since the start of term a month ago!" Peter remarked.

"That talk we had on the train ride here, and that run in I had with her after our first Defense class. I dunno…. I guess just seeing that resentment in her eyes again, seeing that disgust in her eyes again, seeing that disbelief in her eyes, _again_—it was just too much finally that day. I realized right then that Evans will _never_ see me for anything other than an immature, conceited git… and why would I waste my time if it isn't going to change?," James elaborated, "I felt like a total idiot, all at once. I'd been putting everything I had, dutifully, into a witch who truly hated me! What's the point?" Lily knew an expression of dosing shock had crept onto her face because that is what she felt.

"I understand, it'll just take some getting used to you _not_ going round the castle and have her name be every other word that comes out of your mouth," the Pettigrew boy commented.

"I've already gotten used to not thinking about her. It's surprisingly easy!" James reported. This may have been a lie. It took everything within him to consciously ignore Lily.

"Good for you Jamesy!" Sirius congratulated.

"Well, I'm sure Michelle is helping somewhat." Remus said, half smiling.

"It is a great start," he smirked, "But it's not that serious yet." There was a brief silence.

"Don't say it!" Sirius heatedly warned. There was louder laughter and Lily took it as the perfect opportunity for the girls to depart before they were discovered. She could mail her letter at a different time.

"Wow," exhaled Marlene as they walked away, "That was… enlightening! It seems he truly intends on leaving you alone…. But I had no idea he's fancied you since third year! Or at least that was when he was writing about you. I mean, fifth year was obvious and even a lot of fourth… and to think that he was that serious about it!"

"Yeah, I suppose I always assumed he wasn't very serious… or only did it because it annoyed me and he enjoyed the game of it." Lily muttered, feeling uncomfortable.

"It appears he was—he just showed it differently." The prefect did not answer but peered at the stone floor, deliberating.

"But now you know with certainty that you'll be free of his attention; that should make you very happy." Marlene observed, attempting to show her dorm mate something that would please her. Instead of making her feel upbeat, however, the conversation Lily had just overheard made her feel quite poorly for some reason.

James' words stayed in Lily's head for the remainder of the day and she spent an unnatural amount of time mulling over them, trying to understand why they had affected her so negatively. Marlene was right—the news _should_ have made her happy but it did not. By the end of dinner Lily came to realize the root of her uncharacteristic feelings: guilt; she would have never fathomed that she could feel guilty about anything she had said or done to Potter, but she did. That confrontation with him after Defense Against the Dark Arts on the first day of classes _had_ gotten to him, though she had rationalized it had not. Lily also felt badly because he thought she hated him, which was _not _the truth despite what anyone said. Yes, he was an insufferable toerag (though… maybe not so much so far sixth year…), but hate was such a heavy word! Did she really give off the vibe that she abhorred his very existence? It made her seem so heartless and a bit of a hypocrite…. Potter may have been a major nuisance for Lily's entire Hogwarts career, but she did not hate him or want to—he simply riled her up so well with his damn stunts and habits! Consequently, perhaps he acted that way because the Muggleborn never really _had_ given him the benefit of the doubt or a chance to act differently. Maybe she truly had always written him off quickly….

And so it was with tremendous determination, reminders and convincing herself that Lily decided to clear certain things up and speak with Potter, like a mature, rational person. She spotted him in the common room around 8:30 that night sitting near the hearth with Sirius Black and a group of girls, who were looking at and listening to the Marauders with giggly adoration.

"I'm… I'll be back," the red head stated, getting up from the table she was sharing with her roommates.

"Where are you going?" Mary pondered. But she may as well have not even asked it, because she did not receive a response.

"What is _with _Lily today,?" Dorcas inquired, putting her quill down, "She's been brooding!"

"She has," agreed Alice, watching her.

"I… it's anyone's guess!" Marlene said, shrugging and averting her eyes. She knew (or at least hypothesized) why Lily had been noticeably distracted after the morning, but was not going to say anything until the prefect did.

When Lily neared the fireplace she saw that the girls were mainly Sirius' group of regulars with a few others there known for swooning after James. She grimaced at their silly, girlish demeanor and felt her stomach clench tightly as she prepared to speak.

"Er, Potter?" she initiated, clearing her throat. They all turned to look at her and James, who had been speaking, quirked an eyebrow. His admirers narrowed their eyes suspiciously at her presence.

"Yeah?" he replied, lowering his arms.

"Can I… have a word? With you."

Sirius smirked and Lily felt like wiping it off his face. That seemed to be all he ever did! And why was Potter not answering?!

"Sure, Evans…" James finally said, coolly. He said something to the girls, who smiled, and then moved towards Lily.

"Maybe by the portrait hole?" Lily offered.

"Doesn't matter to me."

Once there, she sighed and braced herself for whatever would come out of their mouths.

"All right. So, erm, I feel like I need to talk to you," she remarked.

"What about?," James wondered, sounding curious and somewhat reticent, "If it's to tell me off for something, I—"

"No, no! Uh, nothing like that!"

"Oh. Okay then…. What's up?"

"Er…," Lily started, ringing her hands. How should she say it?, "Maybe… d'you think we should start over?"

He pulled his head back in surprise as he looked at her.

"What do you mean, 'start over'?" James slowly questioned.

"Well, sometimes it seems like we have crossed signals about each other, I t-think. Like we go off, erm, preconceived ideas about the other?" she tried. He continued to gaze at her, still appearing surprised, though it had subsided. She tried again.

"Okay. Um, we've rather been at ends with each other since we met, and maybe for no reason—"

"There was a reason. You went round with Snape and insist I'm a bullying prat." James evenly interjected. Lily peered at him, caught off guard, and blushed.

"I… that may have been wrong of me, to judge you so many times without a second thought," she admitted quietly, "But _you_ were also wrong in the past for things you did to others."

"I know. I can see that now," he commented, scratching the back of his neck nervously. There was silence in which they did not look at one another and merely thought.

"Look, Potter—we're both in the same House. We see each other all the time and is there really any good in having unnecessary tension? I've disagreed with a lot of things you've done but… I think it's time I put aside my former grudges and be a grown up." Lily explained. He grinned lightly at the carpet at the last part.

"Besides, I believed your apology on the train. I saw it as you taking the first step, so, I figure it's my turn. Truce? After so long?" She extended her wand hand and James looked at it. After a moment he took it, feeling a familiar but greatly magnified warmth overtake his body. He was touching Lily Evans, and she had _let_ him!

"Truce," he grinned, the lopsided one and looking into her green eyes.

"Okay. Well… truce then!" Lily half smiled.

"Can I ask you something though, Evans?"

"Um, yeah…"

"If you were still friends with… with _him_, would this be happening right now?" James posited, gazing at her sincerely. The expression she made told him she was not expecting this and she took a moment to consider it.

"I don't know…," the red head truthfully answered, "But, I'm sure he was a part of the problem, and I don't have to worry about that anymore." He smiled gratefully.

"Well, I'm going to get back to my friends! You have your, ah, _fans_ to return to." Lily said. James glanced at Sirius and the girls then back at Lily, who had begun walking away.

"Hey Evans," he called, "What brought this about?" She turned back to face him and appeared shocked.

"Oh! Well… er… it's…," she stumbled, "I… I-I noticed you had stopped… had left me alone. I thought maybe I had said something to… offend you." The prefect then hurried off on her original path leaving James to grin largely and knowingly.

* * *

"Wow," exhaled Sirius, leaning against his pillows and gazing at his best friend, "Did we _ever_ think we'd live to see this day?"

"Truthfully? No," answered Remus, awed and perched on his bed as well. It was ten PM and the boys were all in their dormitory talking about what had transpired between James and Lily earlier.

"I know… it's unbelievable," noted the captain, toying with the Snitch he still had in his hands. It buzzed tenaciously.

"And _she _came to _you_!" Peter mentioned.

"She must have been really upset about being ignored by you, Prongs," grinned Sirius cheekily. James looked at him and smirked.

"She said it's because she wanted to put the past behind them, Sirius. She was being mature," the Lupin boy advised.

"Yeah, like _that's_ it! You have your beliefs, and I have mine."

"You must have made some kind of change for Evans to concede." Peter told him.

"So did she—dropping Snivellus! He's not there to poison her mind with lies about us any longer." James stated.

"That's a good point," nodded the Black boy.

"Well it won't be awkward when all of the sixth years are together now!" Remus commented, picking up his History of Magic textbook.

"So are you gonna start back on Evans now?" Peter pondered.

"And what? Blow it all in three seconds by asking her out? No! I think that would completely convince her that I really am the world's biggest git," he said, "I mean, yeah—I won't lie. She still managed to slip her way into my thoughts this past month and I had to stop myself from doing something stupid a couple of times, but I've put a month into Michelle as well. I'm not giving up suddenly!" Remus rolled his eyes humorously as Sirius barked out a laugh. Peter smiled.

"But that is not to say that I will not savor our truce," James smiled slyly, "Maybe, if I work on it, it'll even bud into a friendship."

"And you know, all great relationships are built on friendships!" Sirius remarked.

"How would you, of all people, know that?" Remus quipped, gawking a bit. The other two chortled appreciatively but before Sirius could respond, their door opened and in walked Frank. They all looked to him.

"So you and Lily have put aside your differences, James? Alice just told me!" he said, smiling.

"Good news gets around fast!" mentioned Peter.

"It's just, after five years! It's like _Prophet_ worthy!"

"Isn't it thought?" chuckled Sirius.

James merely smiled, tossing the Snitch into the air.

"I'm so proud of you Lily!" Marlene beamed from her four poster.

"Proud?" the red head laughed from the bathroom, where she was brushing her hair.

"Yes! You're seeing past your grudges, being open! That's very good of you."

"What? Offering Potter a peace branch?"

"Yes!" the McKinnon girl confirmed.

"Finally!," grinned Dorcas, sitting on the window's ledge in her pajamas, "You two were the problem in the equation; now we can hang out with the boys more often! Well done, Lily."

"Whoa—I suggested a truce, not a deep connection," Lily relayed, coming out of the bathroom, "We're not instantly one big, happy sixth year family."

"Not yet! It'll take some time, of course." Alice pointed out, grinning somewhat. Dorcas laughed.

"I'm still in shock," Mary noted, chuckling a bit on her bed, "I mean, Lily Evans is _actually_ attempting to be civil to Potter, the boy she's vowed to hate since first year! Their battles are monumental!"

"Hey, not 'hate'!" the prefect clarified pointing at her, smiling diminutively nonetheless.

"Mary's got a point. Really though, Lily—I know that must have taken a lot for you to do." Marlene observed.

"Is that what you were consumed with earlier?" Mary inquired.

"Yeah… deciding what to do." Lily revealed, sitting on the foot of her bed. Autumn prowled on the floor, stalking something small.

"So what made you do it? I think we all thought James giving you space was plenty enough." Dorcas said.

"So did I, but… I think I finally saw our old, kind of childish antics for what they were, and I just thought, what is the point? We're older now, and in the same House! It's time to move on."

"Yeah, and we overheard a conversation between James and his mates during the morning." Marlene blurted out offhandedly. She then covered her mouth, recognizing what had come out of it.

"What?!," exclaimed Alice as all heads turned towards Lily, "Explain! What'd he say?"

The Muggleborn glared at the pureblood, knowing that under their eager stares she would have to explain.

* * *

A/N: See? Pretty much an entire chapter dedicated to Lily and James. And they called for a ceasefire, after five years! Yay! Ha ha ha. The path to their relationship has officially begun, lol, though it still has quite some way to go. See you next week!


	13. Confrontations Galore

A/N: So I know I'm very late in posting and I can explain—I had a **nasty** onslaught of school work all due at the same time since my semester ended this week and I had to get it done, as you can imagine. Damn higher education! Anyway, here is the next chapter! Hope it pleases. It's even longer than the rest, to make up for the long wait!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 13**

"_Of all the people at Hogwarts, of all the people in the _world_, why does she have to hang out with _him_?" James agitatedly asked, hands in his robes' pockets and fuming with a furrowed brow. He was staring straight ahead at a pair of students. _

"_Couldn't tell you mate," Sirius replied sympathetically, "Fate is a cruel thing!" He sighed and then unwrapped a piece of Drooble's gum, throwing it in his mouth and gazing at the pair as well._

_The boys had just gotten out of class and were following the same path as many of their classmates, paying particular attention to two._

"_Like, honestly! What does Evans see in that prat? He's foul!" James continued, glowering at Severus Snape's head (which was turned towards Lily)._

"_Not to her though…," Peter mused, "D'you reckon he'd turn on her ever?"_

"_In a heartbeat. He's a little pissant Slytherin obsessed with Dark magic." Sirius commented. _

"_Which is what I don't get she doesn't see!" the Potter boy exclaimed, gritting his teeth. He was more than upset about the friendship of his heart's desire and fierce enemy—he had gotten a weekend long detention a bit earlier for a scuffle with other fifth years, though Slytherins, and they managed to get off without punishment. As such, he was currently in a bad mood and ready to take his anger out on anything._

_Whether consciously or unconsciously, the boys' path matched that of Lily and Snape's and they followed them out onto the grounds. Though it was afternoon, the November sky was dark and heavily overcast, indicating it would rain soon. _

"_How much longer do you think Remus and Frank will be?" Peter asked when they were seated on a bench._

"_Not very. They didn't have much to go when the bell rang." Sirius responded, adjusting his cloak, "I'm still in shock _you_ finished the assignment before they did! But, I _was_ your partner after all…"_

"_Ha ha," came the wry remark. The Black boy looked over to James, who had his chin in his left hand and was still staring moodily at the other two standing not very far off. They were talking contently and James had his wand tapping absentmindedly on his leg._

"_All right Prongs?" Sirius inquired._

"_Smashing," his friend answered shortly. The abrupt reply actually made Sirius smile and for the next few minutes he and Peter spoke about wizard bands, leaving the other to his silent, somber watching._

"_Yeah, Hagrid told us to visit on—oh! There you two are! Finally done, are you?" Sirius said as their other two roommates approached the bench. _

"_It was my fault. We would've been done on time but I forgot a step." Frank stated, shaking his head._

"_No worries." Remus shrugged, putting wool gloves on._

"_You okay James?" the Longbottom boy wondered. They all looked at the Quidditch player but he continued to gaze off with no answer, as if he did not hear them._

"_He's, er… rather out of it." Peter mentioned._

_  
"I'll say. What's up?" Remus said. A voice then drifted across the cold air and James immediately perked up, sitting up straight._

"_What?" he loudly questioned, face hardening slightly. His friends peered at him with alarm, pondering what he was reacting to, but it soon became apparent._

"_I said take a picture, Potter! You'll be able to savor us even longer!" Snape spat, his wand drawn and face sneering. Lily had a hold on his upper arm, appearing to constrain him from moving forward, but she looked irritated as well. He had marched closer to the five boys but there was still a distance between the seven of them._

"_What the hell is that supposed to mean?" James demanded, eyes narrowing._

"_You've been staring at us this whole time! It's weird and pathetic!" the Slytherin pointed out. (The other Gryffindors were watching the exchange intensely). The Chaser scoffed in return but Lily had a response for him._

"_You _have,_ Potter! Don't you have anywhere else to be?" she curtly vocalized. _

"_I can go anywhere I like!," James hotly insisted, "And I'm sorry if the sight of such a disgusting specimen like Snivelly here still captures my morbid interest." Sirius and Peter snickered overtly while Snape's eyes flashed and a snarl overcame his countenance. He pointed his wand at James, who shot up and aimed his wand as well._

"_Severus, don't!" Lily shouted._

"_James!" Remus called, hurrying forward to stop him._

"_Are you sure you wanna do that Snape? You're quite outnumbered." Sirius commented gruffly, hand on his own wand as a precaution._

"_He has me!," the red head retorted, continuing to restrain him, "And if you'd all really gang up on him it _proves_ what wankers you are!" Sirius snorted disbelievingly._

"_Whoa, Lily—we're not in this!" Frank reported, referring to himself and Remus. _

"We're_ the wankers?!," James yelled, at a loss "Come on, Evans! _We_ don't go round professing our love for the Dark Arts! He's foul—him and his mates!"_

"_Shut up Potter!" Snape growled._

"Why_ are you his friend?!"_

"_He's not full of himself, for one! And it's not any of _your_ business!" she relayed, eyes bright with anger._

"_You'd rather spend time with Snivellus than your own Housemates!" James exclaimed._

"_Yes! I _never_ see myself spending time with _you_ willingly! You, Black or Pettigrew! Get a life Potter!"_

"_I have one if you haven't noticed, devoid of losers! You should try it!" His last remark had come out very aggressively due to severity of her own words and how they had stung him, suddenly and painfully. _

"_Merlin! Sod OFF!!" she bellowed._

_Lily then turned around and stormed off, positively incensed. For a brief moment Snape considered staying and dueling the Potter boy, but he knew that idiot Black would jump in and that he had to go after Lily._

"_Miscreant," he said instead, scowling and following his female friend._

_James' face twisted with sheer aggravation, disappointment and frustration, and he gripped his wand extremely tightly. Remus was looking at him wearily but before he could say anything, James had hurled a hex at the Slytherin's back and took off in a whirlwind of anger before he could see the done damage._

…

To think that James had come from instances like that with Lily to their present although tentative standing really was a miracle in its own right, which the two parties were lucidly aware of; their track record together was not one of rainbows, butterflies and clouds. Just as the school had noticed James had stopped his attention seeking habits towards Lily, it would now undoubtedly notice the attempt of the two to be cordial to one another for the first time in anyone's memory.

* * *

"Peter, you're doing it again!" Remus notified, dropping his wand slightly.

"No I'm not," the Pettigrew boy replied, whose face was undeniably red from hard concentration.

"Yes you are! I saw your lips moving—it's supposed to be silent."

"It was!..." Remus gazed at Peter pointedly, dropping his wand fully, and the latter glanced at the prefect multiple times guiltily.

"Oh, all right!," he conceded, frowning sadly and letting his wand fall as well, "I can't get it. Nonverbal spells are hard!"

The boys were in Defense Against the Dark Arts practicing nonverbal spells with the leg locker curse.

"I think maybe you're over thinking it." Remus stated.

"But you _have_ to think it!," Peter insisted, "Can you just try to explain it to me again?"

"Maybe we should ask James and Sirius to help you—they got it in no time." The other two Marauders had perfected the spell and cursed each other many times already, and were now performing it on unsuspecting classmates.

"Not Padfoot. I think he'll have more fun cursing me than explaining to me." Peter wearily commented.

"What's the problem here boys? You're not practicing." Thorne said, walking up to them.

"Peter is having trouble getting it, professor," Remus answered, "I tried helping."

"This is our third silent spell and the fourth you've had trouble with Pettigrew. I think you may very well need outside help."

"I have James and Sirius." Peter remarked hopefully.

"Oh no. They know what they are doing, but I'd prefer unbiased help," she told him.

"Well can they—James—help me now?"

"No. I will take over as your partner now to instruct you and we will discuss tutoring after class," the professor informed, "Mr. Lupin, you may join your two other friends." He nodded and then Thorne spoke again, loudly:

"Black and Potter—since you have obviously finished with the spell, may I suggest you begin the assigned homework?" They looked to her, ceasing in their attempts to silently curse Mulciber's large back, and gave innocent yet impish smiles.

"Of course professor!" Sirius consented dramatically. James strolled back to their desk, seeing Michelle with Fiona and winking at her, and Remus put away his wand as he went to sit with the pair of his best friends.

"Thorne thinks Peter could use tutoring," he relayed, pulling up a third chair.

"Took 'er long enough to notice." Sirius mumbled.

"What for? He has us." James said, grabbing his textbook.

"She said we're biased," the prefect explained.

"Biased?! Does she honestly think anyone else will have the patience to put up with Wormtail?," Sirius scoffed, "She'll see."

"I just hope she doesn't give him a Slytherin."

"Ah, she wouldn't do that. She knows firsthand how we feel about each other," the captain assured, mindlessly flipping through the pages.

"So…," the Black boy slowly started, "It is becoming apparent to me that Emma is, quite frankly, flirting with me."

"Emma _Seigal_?" Remus inquired. James quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes. Ever since she was my partner in Transfiguration, actually."

"You aren't… flirting back, are you?" the Lupin boy wondered.

"No! I'm still focused on Fiona, though if I wanted to talk to another girl I'd be _well_ within my rights!" Sirius declared.

"She always was just _so _sociable!," James noted, smirking somewhat, "But, I mean, I'm not exactly Snape myself here and for what it's worth, she stayed true while we went out."

"Though she seems to have no problem now flirting with her ex-boyfriend's best mate, does she?"

The Potter boy shrugged, looking over to her briefly, and then remarked:

"In the end though her air headed tendencies got to me."

"Air headed tendencies," laughed Remus.

"I felt some of my intelligence slipping away halfway through!" James continued.

"She _is_ airy," grinned Sirius, "But so very, ah, well _endowed_!"

"Why do you think I stayed with her for so long?" They laughed as the bell rang, altering them to the end of the session. Thorne reminded her students about their homework as they left and the Marauders had to leave the classroom without Peter, for he was going to discuss his tutoring. By lunch they were four again and making their way to the Great Hall.

"So who'd Thorne assign you to?" Sirius questioned.

"Dorcas, actually," Peter happily responded, "It was between her and Hamilton. Thorne held her back after me, so I want to talk to her to see what she said."

"Dorcas is really good at Defense. That's cool," nodded Remus.

"You think you're _so_ crafty!," a familiar voice shouted at them from ahead, "I am tired of your shenanigans!" Argus Filch hobbled up to them with his cat by his side and an indignant look on his face, and the boys instantly went on defense.

"What did we do now?" Sirius pondered.

"Don't be so smug, Black!," the caretaker snapped, "Yesterday! The suits of armor!" The Gryffindors all looked at one another and hid smiles. The previous day they had, minus Remus, bewitched all the suits of armor to display very rude hand gestures while singing nonstop, popular songs; Filch had been, undoubtedly, extremely irked.

"We didn't—" James commenced.

"I _know_ it was you, who else?! I may have gotten there just a little too late, but I won't be the next time! I _will_ get you, d'you hear me? And when I do, you'll _rue_ the day you decided to cause me trouble!" Filch elaborated. He then stomped off with a snarl and Mrs. Norris hissed at the Marauders.

"I think he meant it." Peter quickly mentioned after a short stint of silence.

"And I think he's mental," Sirius answered, "If he ever does catch us this year, I'll get down on the floor and kiss that mangy cat!"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," grinned James as they walked into the dining hall. At their table they saw the sixth year girls and Frank sitting together eating, like so many times before.

"Shall we sit with them? James?" Remus posited. They all glanced at him.

"Yeah, why not?," he replied, looking at the group, "It should be fine." This would be the first time since "the truce" two days beforehand that he had spent an extended amount of time with her or had an opportunity for free conversation. So, the Marauders walked to the Gryffindor table and the other sixth years.

"May we sit? Of course we can!" Sirius joked, not waiting for an answer and plopping down next to Frank's left side.

"Cheers, you four." Alice smiled on his other side.

"Greetings, greetings all around!" James proclaimed looking around at everyone from his position next to Peter. When his attention fell on Lily, he gave a diminutive smile that she did not see before looking elsewhere.

"So, erm—Dorcas?," Peter began, seated in between the best friends and facing her, "Did you talk to Professor Thorne about—"

"Oh yeah, Peter—no problem! I'll help you out. Twice a week I think, thirty minutes a piece," she interjected, waving it off lazily.

"T-Thanks, so much! It's really kind of you…"

"Nah, it's nothing."

"What is it that you need help in Pettigrew?" Mary wondered, leaning in a bit.

"Oh. Er, Defense… the nonverbal spells are…" Peter started.

"Alluding him!" Sirius finished, eating a chip.

"Loads of people need help, don't worry. Remus helps me with History sometimes." Mary noted, smiling down at the prefect (who sat on Dorcas' right).

"He also helps Peter, as do I, as does James. In fact, I think we can all say we've helped Peter in any given subject." Sirius pointed out. There was light laughter but not from Peter who was blushing uncomfortably and not from Marlene, who was looking at the Black boy thoughtfully.

"Oh, don't you think you're being a little mean Sirius? So he struggles with a few concepts—like Mary said, loads of people do. You happen to be fortunate enough to be a skilled, fast learner," she said, her chin resting in her hands. The laughter died almost instantly and the sixth years looked from Marlene to Sirius; he was gazing at her with pure surprise and Peter appeared in awe.

"No! I don't… I don't _mean_ it when I… when I say stuff like that!," Sirius defended, chuckling uncertainly, "Pete knows—he k-knows I'm only taking the mickey! It's not… it's in good humor, right Wormtail?"

"Uh, y-yeah—yeah! I know, Sirius, is only joking…" Peter responded, his voice fading away at the end.

"Okay, only making sure." Marlene notified, beginning to eat her soup.

Conversation slowly commenced among the ten following a moment of dead silence but Sirius did not join in initially, for he was staring at the McKinnon girl with the surprise still on his face. When he finally did turn away to speak, there was a tiny smile on his face. At the Slytherin table, Snape saw the Gryffindor sixth years sitting together and chatting and furrowed his brow while his own Housemates talked around him. They were actually sitting _together_, not near each other but as a definite group, and this confused him. Lily despised the Marauders so why was she in such close proximity to them without having to be?

"Marlene!" Sirius called when lunch had ended and the students were leaving their tables, aware of their classes in the next 15 minutes.

"Yes?" she replied, standing up.

"Would you…," he began. He then shook his head and tried something else, "Walk back to the tower with me, yeah?" This time she looked taken aback, but it changed to a pleasured, pretty smile not long after.

"Of course." Marlene said, glancing at Mary with the same smile. Lily and Dorcas looked at one another and grinned to themselves.

"See you, Black," hailed James as Alice and Frank got up to depart as well and he himself stood with Remus and Peter.

As the remaining three boys left a little before the remaining three girls, James' caught Lily's eye and gave her a short lived, awkward smile. She returned it with an equally unsure, sheepish smile.

"An entire meal without Evans scowling or shouting at me," James exhaled as he and his friends headed for the staircase, "I can get used to this!"

"An entire meal without wanting to strangle Potter because of his behavior," Lily commented as she and her friends strolled away from their table, "I think I can get used to this."

Later that night called for Lily and Remus to attend their monthly prefect meeting for October.

"I think a trip to Hogsmeade is a very fitting way to start the weekend off! What time did you have in mind?" Sirius said to James from his scarlet cushioned chair.

"Closer to midnight," he answered, studying the chess board closely from his own seat.

"D'you think Moony will actually go?" Peter questioned, positioned closely to them with a piece of parchment and his Divination book.

"He ruddy well should. Our last attempt was put off by you landing in the Hospital Wing, and that was weeks ago." Sirius stated.

"Yeah, and it'd be nice if he went not being under the influence of… his furry little problem," the captain smirked, "It's much more thrilling sneaking there and being able to fully enjoy it. Oh no, you twit! I haven't said move yet!" His anger was directed at a bishop that had started to move across the board, but it ceased suddenly at the sound of his voice.

"No, no—let it! It works for me!" the Black boy wickedly grinned. Whoever won the match got to gleefully watch the other write his next Potions essay.

"It's the second piece to do that. I think you told them to _make_ me lose, Padfoot! Next time we play with my board." James bluntly noted, then telling a pawn to move.

"Your accusations shock me Jamesy," smiled Sirius, scrutinizing his options, "And your work sickens me, Pettigrew. I am morally offended you are doing homework on a Friday night."

Peter looked up from writing and grimaced a bit.

"I am trying to catch up! And there's a lot," he rationalized.

"Is Remus not here?" a girl asked suddenly, interrupting them. They looked and saw Lily standing there appearing slightly surprised.

"Oh. No. he's not here." Peter informed.

"Oh… our meeting's in about ten minutes," she relayed, checking her watch.

"He's in the library, love." Sirius said, instructing one of his pieces to move.

"Right. I guess I'll just go without him then," the red head mentioned. She then gave Sirius an appraising look, "And try not to call me 'love', Black." He looked up at her and grinned as Lily prepared to leave for the prefects' lounge.

"Er, Evans—," James started, twisting towards her in the seat, "Do you think it's a good idea to go by yourself? You know certain creepers also walk these corridors."

"I'm a big girl Potter; I think I'll be able to make it to the meeting just fine." Lily responded spryly. He shrugged with a very faint smile on his face and turned back around to his game. She stood there a fraction of a second longer before saying, and then leaving:

"Besides, if I _do_ run into trouble, I can use one of the many hexes the notorious Marauders have used on those same creepers." When the three teenage boys looked back to her, amused, she was already walking away.

Lily arrived to the prefects' lounge a few minutes before the nine o'clock meeting began and was met with the unpleasant sight of the two Slytherin prefects speaking with three of their Housemates: Cooper, Solomon Gates and Snape. She bit the inside of her cheek as she neared them and felt her anger swell cautiously; why is it _these_ Slytherins were always the ones around?

"Oh! Well well well!," Rosier commenced, eyes brightening with malice, "Evans is here for the meeting! Welcome, _Lily_!" She did not reply but glared at them all.

"Where's Loony Lupin? Have a spat?" pondered Gates. The others laughed somewhat but Snape remained quiet with his eyes fixed on her and an unreadable expression.

"Would you mind moving? I'd like to get in." Lily told them flatly.

"Evans, this is exactly why you're no fun! You never answer us when we try to engage you in friendly discussion!" Rosier explained, smirking.

"Most Mudbloods don't have manners," sneered the female prefect, Winifred Flagstone. Lily's anger flared instantly and she glowered at the other witch while Snape peered at her as well, his lips tightening. Gates and Cooper sniggered loudly.

"Get out of my way! I don't have time for your rubbish," the Muggleborn snapped.

"That temper of yours will not bode well for you in the future Evans." Rosier noted.

"Oy," someone said, coming from the other side of the hall. Lily looked past the snakes and saw Remus walking towards them with his school bag and a concerned look on his features. At the same moment the entrance to the prefects' lounge opened and the Head Boy stepped out.

"There you four are—it's nine o'clock!," he voiced, gazing around at the group, "Why are you three here? You're not prefects—go back to the dungeons." Gates, Cooper and Snape appeared affronted as Remus walked quickly over to Lily and nodded to her; she nodded back and they hurried into the lounge, leaving all the Slytherins outside.

"I'm sorry Lily," he commenced, "I thought you might meet me in the library earlier. I told Sirius to tell you I was there."

"Oh he told me, right before the meeting," she remarked.

"Bloody Padfoot." Remus grumbled as they sat down with the fifth and seventh year Gryffindor prefects and greeted them, which included Amy Dunesfield. Lily saw Marcus among the Hufflepuffs smiling directly at her and she returned it warmly.

There was not much new information to cover in the meeting but they were reminded of the upcoming Hogsmeade trip and maintaining their rounds. The weekend passed and was noteworthy due to a group of upper-year Slytherins terrorizing a pair of fourth years, but they were discovered by Hagrid before anyone ended up in the Hospital Wing. They were interrogated about the incident by their Head of House and the headmaster, and claimed the fourth years had instigated the situation by challenging them with nasty words; they were merely shaking them up a bit in response. The fourth years when interviewed by themselves, had been visibly shaken and did not offer much incriminating evidence against the Slytherins although Dumbledore ensured their safety for the "truth". In the end they were afraid of future retaliation from the snakes and so said little, even though they had been targeted for their "ancestral lineage and allegiances", and the older students had but received detentions. Dumbledore could not be everywhere…

Monday brought even more grim news, although this news struck fear in the chords of everyone's hearts. The big story in the _Prophet_ for the day was unavoidable and about one wizard: Voldemort. Over the weekend on Saturday he had released a small troupe of young trolls on a Muggle town after being vocally targeted by the head of the Magical Law Department earlier that day at a public conference. There had been only one survivor, who had then been taken hostage and sworn subject to torture by Death Eaters; there was also a Dark Mark found at the Head's home but no other sign of dark magic, as his family was alive and his possessions in tact.

"All Crouch did was let everyone know that the Law Department is not going to let that nutter run amuck if they can help it, that the community has the right to feel safe. All Crouch did was his job and look at Voldemort's response!" Sirius said in disbelief, shaking his head.

"That was exactly the problem to him," Remus somberly replied, stuffing parchment into his bag, "Crouch had the nerve to call him out and he didn't appreciate it."

"Yeah, you can't have people undermining you if you're trying to strike terror into souls." Frank added, narrowing his eyes as he stared at his shoes.

Lunch had ended and they were preparing for their upcoming period of Herbology, though somberly so. The information about Voldemort had coming in the morning and the students were still processing it, a fresh new wound to remind them that this wizard was not going away.

"Dad's going to be at the Ministry all day today," James reported from the window, looking down at a letter he had received during breakfast, "He's been out since it basically happened. He says Alastor Moody—you know, that brilliant Auror?—is fired up. He's going to lead a bust on catching Death Eaters and suspected Death Eaters within the next few days."

"Good," Sirius flatly commented, "Maybe they can pay my dear cousin _Bella_ a visit."

"It just really gets to me how one person can do so much harm." Remus reflected, gazing blankly at his pillows. Peter, who was sitting on his bed and had said nothing the entire time, looked at the Lupin boy then stared down at the bedspread sadly.

Lily always struggled inwardly when there was news about a novel atrocity of Voldemort's and this time was no exception. Every time there was an attack, notably on Muggles, she fretted significantly. She constantly feared that somehow her family would be among the victims which scared her, and she was subconsciously reminded of her blood line and what it meant. Of course she did not believe in that nonsense but Voldemort unfortunately did, along with many others. Lily did know that Mary shared her same fears and so whenever the red head did feel a pressing need to talk about her worries she went to Mary, and the two at least had some comfort in knowing they had each other. Out of all the Houses at Hogwarts, Slytherin unsurprisingly seemed the least concerned about the current Voldemort update and many of its inhabitants even appeared to be glad about it, including Mulciber.

The middle of October soon came and brought the first rain of the term, along with a few other things. Sirius managed to earn two more detentions, Peter earned himself one and James was growing more excited about his impending first game as captain.

"How are your sessions with Dorcas going, Peter?" Remus pondered one Saturday evening as the four of them lounged about the sofas in the empty prefects' lounge for a change of scenery.

"Oh, great! She's going to be really helpful; you saw me in Defense the other day—I got the spell before class ended!" Peter noted happily. His tutoring lessons with the petite witch had begun not very long ago and they had completed two so far.

"That's good," the Lupin boy nodded, stifling a yawn. The full moon was in two days and he was starting to feel the usual effects and knew that because it fell on a Monday he would be utilizing the "sick mother" scenario once more.

"Yeah. She's wicked." Peter muttered, smiling to himself. James, who was sprawled in a yellow armchair shooting darts from his wand at a target board across the room, turned his head quizzically to the short teenager.

"Worm—" he started.

"Can we focus on the real issue at hand here?" Sirius asked with folded arms, perched on the top part of a black sofa and cutting his best friend off.

"What? Hogsmeade in a week?" Peter inquired.

"No."

"You three not being allowed in here because of the ban McGonagall gave you? Due to complaints of your behavior from the other prefects?" Remus pondered.

"No! But I'd forgotten about that ban—thanks for the reminder." Sirius said.

"Was it meant to be a lifetime ban or just last year?" Peter questioned.

"Lifetime, I reckon." Remus answered.

"How many things are we banned from at school? I've lost count."

"Four, if I'm correct," James told him, "And the one for the library is pending."

"It _is_ four…" Peter noted thoughtfully.

"_I _only have two, and it's your fault I even have those." Remus clarified.

"And technically I am now allowed in here as captain—the same privileges as a prefect!," James relayed, "So take _that_ McGonagall! I'm down to three."

"Okay! I'm pretty sure I was making a point over here!" Sirius boomed over their conversation, holding up an arm exasperatedly. They all peered at him and sniggered quietly.

"Sorry Sirius. Go on," his best friend offered.

"As I was _saying_, we have a problem on our hands."

"Which is?" prompted Remus.

"The fact that we haven't done a prank for October, and the month doesn't have much time left!" the Black boy reported.

"Sure we did—the suits of armor." Peter remarked.

"That was not a prank, it was a stunt," he flatly responded, "We need to actually have a plan!" James looked at him, shooting another dart absent mindedly, then pointed out:

"We just haven't had time so far Padfoot, is all. Classes, Quidditch…"

"We used to always make time! One prank a month is not so much to ask for! Merlin, it's the Marauder way!" The others all glanced at each other doubtfully, not saying anything because they were not sure what to say.

"I'm leaving—got to meet Fiona by her common room," Sirius sighed, checking his watch, "I'll see you lot later. And be thinking of a brilliant prank to make up for our slack!" He jumped off the sofa then left the lounge, hands in his pockets.

Not long afterward the remaining three left as well and returned to Gryffindor Tower. James did feel a bit sorry about them not completing a prank for the month yet and surprised that he had not realized this sooner; executing tricks was normally a constant thrill for him. On Sunday night Mary found a notably pale Remus with dark eyes slumped in a chair around the boys' favorite table along with his friends, who were doing homework.

"I don't know if I'm going to get used to the sight of the Marauders actually doing homework." Dorcas noted as she and Mary approached the table, scrunching her nose up. The boys looked up at the girls.

"I don't know if I'm going to get used to actually having to do it!" James replied, shoulders sagging and pushing his notes away.

"It's mental!," Sirius insisted, throwing his quill down, "To hell with NEWT classes!"

"Here here," groaned Peter.

"But that's odd. The only one who normally _does _homework clearly isn't." Dorcas remarked, referring to Remus who had his head on an open book. He gazed at her from the tome's vantage, not moving.

"You all right mate?" she asked.

"I came to see if you'd like to work on the History assignment tomorrow Remus, but you don't look too well." Mary began, peering at him worriedly. The other three boys glanced at one another.

"I… I can't do it tomorrow Mary—sorry," he croaked, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, he's leaving to visit his mum. Early tomorrow morning." Sirius announced.

"Oh. That again?" the Muggleborn pondered.

"She's sick again," nodded Remus, lifting his head up.

"Sorry Remus," apologized Dorcas.

"It's… fine. I'm just going to go up to bed now." The Lupin boy stood up and James stated:

"We've got your things Moony." Remus nodded gratefully and walked away from the group, holding up a hand as a farewell.

"She's been ill since we've known him!," Dorcas commented, shaking her head, "That's really unfortunate. Poor Remus."

Mary nodded sadly in agreement, watching him go. Peter fiddled nervously with his quill's feather as Sirius looked significantly at James. Their friend had people feeling sorry for his mother, and if those people only knew the truth….

As was custom, Remus was absent from his classes on Monday and spent the day in the Hospital Wing with a sheet around his bed. The other sixth year Gryffindors discovered he was "at home" and Snape also noticed his absence, which only gave him sour satisfaction for his werewolf theory. (He made a mental note to closely observe the Marauders' actions that day).

"So, guess who asked me to Hogsmeade on Saturday," Sirius smirked as the students prepared to start that day's Herbology lesson.

"Half the witches here?" Frank answered, pulling his gloves on. Peter chuckled.

"Remember, do _not _water them, so I suggest you move that watering can away from your area, Royce." Sprout mentioned in the background.

"No—I would not call four half," Sirius clarified. James smiled, "But Emma Seigal did."

"Whoa! She did?!" Peter asked, rapidly looking up.

"It is _not_ funny, Royce! Get rid of the watering can!" Sprout insisted.

"Yes she did," the Black boy confirmed. James stopped putting his goggles on midway to laugh, shocked.

"What'd you tell her?" Frank inquired, half smiling.

"Well, I reminded her that James is my best friend and her former boyfriend, and that it might make it odd." Sirius relayed.

"What'd she say?" wondered the Pettigrew boy.

"Basically? That it didn't matter. She said it was ages ago that they went out."

"Nice," laughed James.

"Then I told her I'd have to pass since I'm taking Fiona on Saturday. She seemed a little irritated." Sirius finished, poking his pot of soil.

"You are? You've asked her, then?" the captain probed, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, over the weekend when were together. But we're not going alone—I told her I was hanging out with my friends and she's invited along."

"So no official date?" Peter smirked.

"Nah—not yet! Next time, I think."

"Sirius, the way you go round with girls, you have everything _but _titles! You might as well just make it so when you do that." Frank told him, dropping his seeds in his soil and burying them.

"Not having those little titles makes all the difference, Frank," Sirius grinned. He turned to James, "So when will you ask Michelle?"

"What d'you mean 'ask her'?" he replied, drawing his head back.

"To Hogsmeade. She'll be alone without Fiona, feel left out."

"She has other friends. I don't _have_ to ask her…" James remarked.

"I thought you liked her." Peter pointed out, appearing confused and burying his own seeds.

"I do! I just… I dunno. I don't have this pressing urge to ask her, although I do like her."

"Is it because of Evans?" Sirius pondered.

"No!" James sharply refuted.

"Okay. Well if you think about it, you can just do what I am. Ask her to hang out with all of us." The Potter boy shrugged after a moment, deliberating.

"So… how are we supposed to get these things to grow without water?" Peter questioned after a silent period, looking around.

"Apparently, with verbal coaxing." Frank answered, consulting the book. They all groaned.

That night after dinner Lily received her own experience regarding Hogsmeade, as the students were becoming excited it was only a few days away. She was leaving the Great Hall with her roommates and had gone up a few of the stairs laughing when someone touched her elbow. She looked back to see Alexander Farrell standing a couple steps below, a stocky sixth year Ravenclaw with brown hair.

"Lily," he started, smiling a tad.

"Hi Alex," she responded, resting a hand on the rail.

"Can I talk to you? Quickly?"

"Er, sure…" Lily looked back up to her friends who were multiple steps ahead to signal for them to go on without her. Dorcas mumbled something with a sly grin on her face which caused Alice and Marlene to giggle quite loudly as they went on their way. The red head tried not to roll her eyes and smile simultaneously at her friends' inability for discreetness as she walked back down the stairs to meet him.

"What's up?" she probed when they were off to the side so they would not block anyone's way.

"Well Hogsmeade is on Saturday." Alex informed.

"Yes it is." Lily half smiled.

"So, would you like to go with me?"

"Oh!" The minor amusement left her countenance and some dread at what she was going to have to tell him began to fill her.

"Oh, Alex," the prefect remorsefully started, biting her lip, "I'm sorry, but I've already agreed to go with someone else!"

"You have?" he asked dully, the brightness draining out of him.

"Yes… I'm sorry."

"Oh. I see," Alex shoved his hands into his pockets and frowned, "Well who's the bloke you're going with?"

"Marcus. Hamilton." Lily said.

"The Hufflepuff prefect?" he inquired.

"Yeah." The Ravenclaw then made a sound of disapproval or disbelief in his throat; she could not tell, but it led her to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Well if that's what strikes your fancy, then all right. I mean, he's a bit stiff to me but…" Alex commented.

"_Stiff_?" she repeated, gazing unbelievingly. He shrugged. The red head scoffed under her breath then said very evenly:

"He's very funny, actually. I like it."

"Fine," the Ravenclaw shrugged again, "I'll see you later Lily."

He then turned and walked away, leaving a Lily with an incredulous expression standing in his wake. Wow—that had been very audacious! The prefect shook her head as she prepared to go back up the staircase, reunite with her friends and tell them about her interesting interaction with Alex Farrell.

When Lily entered the common room she quickly checked the premises for her dorm mates but did not see them, albeit Alice who was with Frank and looked quite cozy. She surmised they were in their room but before she departed for the girls' dormitories she noticed something else: Sirius Black offering something to a curious first year and wearing a tell tale characteristic smirk as he did so. Having occupied the same House as this wizard for years now, she knew when he was up to something other than good and so decided to intervene and put her prefect duties to work.

"Thank you!" Lily said, walking over to them and summoning the object to her. Both the first year and Sirius appeared surprised and looked to the source, as well as the third person near them—James.

"Hey!" exclaimed Sirius.

"For future advice, don't accept things from him; it's a general rule," she politely told the eleven year old. He nodded hurriedly, wide eyed, and then took off.

"Evans, what was that for?" the Black boy pondered, crossing his arms. His best friend seemed amused.

"I was trying to spare myself from issuing you a detention, Black."

"On what grounds?"

"So what you were about to give him was completely harmless?" Lily wryly asked. Sirius scratched his head and looked away, smiling.

"Thought so," she stated, getting ready to head for her room. She took a brief moment in which she considered acknowledging James, and then nodded at him.

"Evans, quick question before you go," Sirius began, "Would you go to Hogsmeade with Jamesy here?"

She drew her brows and looked at him, then to James; James, on the other hand, let his mouth hang open and then gazed at his best friend with disbelief.

"I!—no," the captain commented, now gazing at her, "I didn't ask that!"

"Don't worry—he isn't in on it," grinned Sirius, "I just thought you missed being asked out by him since it hasn't happened all this term, which is just mind blowing if I say so myself!" The captain appeared to relax a little but still looked as if he wanted to say something more to his friend, while Lily relaxed as well but felt the observation was shocking truth.

"Oh, ha ha. Yes, well…," she remarked somewhat uncomfortably, putting hair behind her ear, "I suppose the fun wore off for you Potter."

"Ah, I just decided I'd like my body in tact this year." James replied, trying to make light of the situation so they could not feel so awkward.

"Very understandable. I think I'm able to refrain from inflicting bodily pain on people now," Lily smiled lightly.

"But we'll see you there at Hogsmeade, Evans. I'm sure we'll be with your dorm mates at some point." Sirius told her casually. During former trips to the village, only a portion of the Gryffindor girls would spend occasional time with the Marauders: Alice, Marlene and Dorcas, and Lily and Mary would opt not to (when the red head was not on a personal date).

"Oh, probably. Actually… well, you may just see me around. I don't know how much I'll spend with my friends—I'm going with someone," she reported.

"Are you?"

"Yes."

"With, er, with whom?" James asked, making sure he did not sound accusatory when he posed this and hoped it came off as offhanded.

"Marcus. But I've been down here longer than I thought I would be and I really need to find the girls, so, see you." Lily then made for the girls' staircase, shocked that she had just had a conversation of sorts with them, even if there had been awkwardness in it. She was also a bit annoyed with herself that she had told them she was going to Hogsmeade with a date. It was not like they—he, Potter—had been outraged by the revelation and declared a war against Marcus, or like Black had pointed out, asked her to go himself (which _was_ rather a first), so she did not know precisely why she was annoyed. Maybe because it had not been totally necessary, maybe because it had not been any of their business really, or maybe because she had said it without any malice of the past….

When the Muggleborn had gone, James turned swiftly to his best friend.

"Nice, Sirius! Any other embarrassing things you want to say in regards to me when you're in front of her, just let them all out, I beg you," he announced.

"What? When I asked her out for you? I was fooling around mate, calm down!," Sirius notified, chuckling disbelievingly, "Do not tell me that actually upset you! You would've laughed _with_ me on a normal basis and then asked her out yourself, again!"

"You're probably right, but that was in the past, and things are different now that she's trying not to hate me. I just don't want to go back to square one with her on the drop of a wizard's hat."

"All right," the other heaved, sighing, "It'll just be nice when we get to the point where we _can_ joke about it. And if Evans is itching to put someone in detention, she should go find Snivellus. I think it'll be safer for him."

"I know." James grumbled, face hardening.

"I swear Prongs—if he's starting to follow us around again, it's a death wish!" Sirius growled.

Earlier that day when Peter, James and Sirius had left lunch somewhat early, Snape took notice and discretely followed them a couple of minutes later. They stopped by the kitchens initially and the Slytherin waited outside around the corner for them to come out, knowing that since they had just eaten their visit could not really be to satisfy their own hunger needs. They emerged ten minutes afterward and he continued to follow them on their trek, only to wind up at the Hospital Wing. He celebrated inwardly, knowing that since they themselves were not injured they had to be there to visit, and the only people they saw fit to visit were their insufferable Housemates. Well, since the only one absent from the meal had been Lupin they had to be there for him, confined to the infirmary, on the day of a full moon…. Snape knew not to go inside right after the three and so waited a few minutes, deciding that if they were occupied with the werewolf he would probably be able to sneak in and watch them from a safe distance without detection. However, this plan did not come to pass since he practically ran into them as he slyly walked through the doors, only to be shocked. They seemed to be a bit perturbed waiting for Pomfrey, who was nearby at her desk and appeared hassled; when the four attended to the Slytherin there were many shouts, looks of outrage and some wand drawing. Consequently, before the teenagers could do anything, the nurse commanded Severus to leave without hearing his reason for being there, saying that she was very busy and had absolutely no time for "more dawdlers". Needless to say, the event had not pleased the Marauders.

"I'm with you on that," nodded James, "Whenever he does tail us it's always on _these_ days. That big nosed git suspects…"

"He's too nosy and insignificant for his own good." Sirius pointed out.

"So what to do until Peter gets back from his lesson with Dorcas and it's time for us to leave? And please, don't say homework!"

"Who do you think I am?! Remus and Marlene's child?"

* * *

A/N: Another chapter next weekend, I promise!


	14. Hooligans in Hogsmeade

A/N: It may be a day late, but it's here before the weekend is out! Ha ha.

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 14**

Snape recognized what a Cheering Charm looked like and it was obvious to him that the three Gryffindor sixth year boys had placed them upon themselves for some reason the following day in classes. And while the other students believe that Remus was returning that evening to school from his home, the Slytherin thought that the human body _would_ need a day of recovery after having spent the previous night as a werewolf! Well the Marauders had used Cheering Charms to not look and feel so tired after their night long adventure, and took an early dinner on Tuesday so they could go up to their dormitory afterward and sleep earlier.

On the day before the Hogsmeade visit, Sirius had some choice words for his best friend in Care of Magical Creatures.

"I didn't think you were actually serious about this James, but here it is, the eve of the trip, and you haven't asked Parks to the village!" he exclaimed, filling his bucket with water.

"Haven't we already had this talk?" the captain answered, standing on the other side of the pump and sounding somewhat exasperated.

"Yes, but maybe this time I can finally get you to do it." James laughed a bit then said:

"Okay Sirius, you have three options. You can accept that I don't really want to go with anyone, you can explain to Fiona that she's going to have to be at peace without her best friend tomorrow, or you can go with her by yourself so she won't feel so alone! I know the only reason you care is because she's been talking to you about it."

"Well you are right about that," Sirius admitted, removing the pail from under the pump, "She's kind of been harping about it, unfortunately."

"Girls." James stated, shaking his head and moving to fill his bucket.

"But… she's kind of upset over it. Michelle, that is."

"What do you mean?" He gazed over at the Black boy.

"Fiona told me that she's sad you haven't asked her to go. Apparently she thinks you don't like or fancy her as she thought you did, or she thinks she did something wrong." Sirius revealed.

"Really?" James wondered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yep. Don't mean to guilt trip you or anything, but that even made me feel guilty."

The Chaser grimaced slightly as he stared down at his bucket and saw it was full. He surely did not want Michelle to be upset or get the wrong idea about him—that had not been his intention at all. James gathered his pail and looked up across the grass where the Ravenclaws and thereby Michelle stood.

"Hiya," greeted Dorcas, having come from speaking with a pair of Hufflepuffs, "Share the pump?"

"Always." Sirius consented. She smiled then placed her bucket under the faucet, noticing her captain's face.

"What's up James?" she inquired. He peered at her.

"Hogsmeade business," came the reply.

"Huh?"

"I think I have a solution," the Potter boy said, speaking to his best friend, "I'll be back." James set his pail down and walked away. Dorcas raised an eyebrow at Sirius, pointing to the boy who was walking away from them.

"We were talking about Hogsmeade," he chuckled, "He may ask Michelle to go with him." She turned her head to watch James go, furrowing her brows.

When the Quidditch captain approached the Ravenclaws, Michelle had her textbook in her hands and was examining the pages of the creature they were studying for the day.

"Hey Michelle," he remarked. She and the rest of her Housemates looked at him.

"Oh! Hi James," she responded.

"Can I have a word?"

"Sure." She gave her book to Bruce Bowyer and followed James a few steps away.

"So are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow with anyone?" he questioned. The blonde's face became just the least bit sullen.

"Oh… just my friends, I suppose," Michelle reported, "I've been asked but—"

"Some bloke asked you?" James cut in, surprised.

"Yes, but I don't know if I want to go with him."

"I see. Well, if you'd like, we could meet up for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks."

"Yeah?" she wondered, her face brightening.

"Yeah. You can meet me and my mates, and Fiona of course," he told her.

"All right! I think I'd like that."

"Cool," James half smiled, "How about around one o'clock?"

"That works." Michelle nodded, smiling.

"Brilliant. I'll talk to you in a bit, then."

"Okay."

"So you asked her to go?" Dorcas quickly pondered when James arrived back, gazing at him.

"Yes and no," the captain replied, "I'm not taking her but I offered to meet up for a drink—told her she could join us."

"Great compromise," Sirius commented with crossed arms, "Why didn't I think of just going for a drink?..."

"You don't quite have my mental prowess, I reckon." James smirked, picking up his bucket once more.

In Potions that day there were two lavish envelopes waiting on the desk that James and Sirius typically occupied when they arrived. Upon investigation, they revealed to hold two invitations written in green ink to Slughorn's Halloween party the subsequent week. They looked and saw Lily pulling identical parchment out from her own envelope with a quizzical expression.

"It says we can bring two guests each," Sirius mentioned, "That's pretty wicked."

"It is...," James agreed, staring at the invitation, "I think I already have my two people in mind."

"Well that was fast! Who are they?"

"I'll probably ask Michelle, in part to make up for the Hogsmeade thing, and the other Marauders of course. I'll take Remus and you can take Wormtail."  
"Ah," the Black boy nodded, "Bringing the girls would be a good idea. As for Wormtail, who says I want to waste my perfectly good slot on him?"

James shook his head, grinning, then responded:

"Who else would you take?"

"Frank, or maybe Dorcas!"

"I don't think Fiona would appreciate another witch on your other arm," the Potter boy observed smugly.

"Eh, Dorcas is cool like one of the boys!" Sirius stated offhandedly, waving it off.

"Sirius—you're bringing Peter and we both know you wouldn't really leave him out."

"Want to bet Galleons?" he muttered.

"Do I have to get Marlene to tell you you're being mean to him again?" James quipped. Sirius smirked then turned back to glance at the girl in question, who was speaking actively with her prefect dorm mate.

"Hey, I brought a couple of Dungbombs. Want to get them in the Slytherins cauldrons?" he questioned a few moments later, smiling deceitfully.

"How will we pull that off?" the Chaser pondered, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? When everyone's getting the ingredients, or we'll create a diversion like we've done many times before." Sirius informed, as if it were no issue.

"I don't know… I think Slughorn will figure out it was us rather quickly. We're really the only ones who act on our hate for them."

"They could all just make explosive mistakes in today's directions! How would he know for certain?"

"I don't think so Padfoot," James admitted, shaking his head slightly, "I think we should just hold back this class—wait for another time."

Sirius stared at the other boy, his face frozen with a bemused expression.

"What's the issue?" he asked.

"There's no issue," the Potter boy half chuckled, "I just don't think knicking a detention is the best idea right now."

"So you're worried about getting a detention? That's what this is about?" Sirius wondered, his face dawning with comprehension.

"More or less. Slughorn can blow up when he wants to, and I don't want to risk any chance of not getting to play in Gryffindor's Quidditch match next week."

"You never worried about it any other time…"

"I was never captain any other time. I'm under scrutiny even more now; it's different." James noted.

"That's not the only thing," scoffed the Black boy quietly, flipping his book open. James looked at him rapidly, a shocked expression on his features, "At least now I know why you've left me alone in this one sided detention battle of ours, and now I know it's officially dead. You never even had intentions of doing it."

Sirius then stopped talking and put his head in his left hand, examining his tome while James gaped at him with an open mouth. He ceased after a few moments however, and turned to look straight ahead, waiting for the class to begin and wearing an uncomfortable frown. Things remained a little stiff between the boys for most of the lesson, but when they were dismissed and walking out of the dungeons with everyone else, the stealthy deposit of a Dungbomb in Gates' bag at James' suggestion made the situation normal once more.

The next morning finally brought the Hogsmeade visit and talk in the girls' room.

"So it's me, Mary and Dorcas today." Marlene observed from a desk as she watched Alice tie her shoes.

"You two don't mind getting a drink with the boys today, do you?" Dorcas questioned, peering at her friends while running a brush over her hair.

"Of course not."

"Did they ask us to join them?" Mary wondered.

"Well, not directly but they won't care! _They're_ going as a group and I know they won't mind. It's around one I think…" Dorcas explained.

"Well Frank and I will meet up with you lot for sure at the Three Broomsticks." Alice nodded. Marlene looked expectantly at Lily.

"I think I'll pass," the red head half smiled, putting a shoe on, "I told Marcus I would spend the time with him and that's what I'm going to do. Besides, I don't know if he'd be able to deal with their level of… zest, on such a first hand basis."

"Yeah, I think I could see Black and Potter heckling him!" Mary said.

"Well Sirius is going with Fiona Etherton and his mates, so I think any heckling will be tamer in light of her presence." Alice casually remarked, adjusting her sweater. She then abruptly quit her movement and appeared quite guilty as both Muggleborns immediately looked up.

"He's taking her? It's true?" Marlene pondered, gazing at the blonde and sounding apprehensive.

"Yeah…" the Waite girl attested, seeming apologetic.

"Oh," This came out in a small voice, "Is James going with Michelle then?"

"No, but he did ask her to the Three Broomsticks." Dorcas interjected with folded arms, having put her brush down. Lily glanced at her. It was silent for a moment as the McKinnon girl deliberated and the other witches watched her think.

"I wouldn't want to… impose, on their date." Marlene commented, gesturing with her hands and looking down.

"It's not a date!" Alice rushed to say.

"Yes, if it were he'd be going with her alone." Mary added.

"Maybe he's saving that for the next Hogsmeade trip." Marlene glumly mentioned. Dorcas gave Alice a sad grimace.

"Marlene," Lily commented, moving to sit near her on Mary's four poster and putting a hand on her knee, "I think it's more than all right to officially let us know that you fancy Black… or that you never stopped." Marlene's eyes shot wide open and her mouth opened in protest, but in the following seconds she gave in and slumped down.

"Merlin, is it that obvious?" she mumbled from in between her limbs. Lily gave her a sympathetic "tsk" and rubbed her knee, smiling, while Alice laughed once and gave her shoulders a miniature hug; Mary and Dorcas smiled at each other broadly.

When the girls arrived in the crowded Entrance Hall they saw that a number of students had already received clearance to leave and were outside the castle, either walking to the gates or lingering on the grounds for their friends still inside. Filch, the Head Boy and Girl were confirming the students' authorization to visit the village and a couple of forlorn second years stood on the staircase watching the older kids wistfully.

"Lily!" Marcus hailed from a spot in the Head line, waving to her.

"Oh, there's Marcus! I'll see you girls later then," the red head bid, walking to go join him.

"And there's Frank," Alice remarked, seeing her boyfriend coming towards her from being with his roommates, "Catch you at one?"

"One it is." Dorcas confirmed. The Waite girl met Frank halfway and he nodded acknowledging at the other three before he and his girlfriend joined the Head line.

"Filch's queue then." Mary shrugged, since they were closer to it than the other.

Halfway across the hall over by a stone wall were the Marauders, not attempting to get into a line but immobile as if waiting.

"D'you think it'll rain?" Peter questioned, peering at the gray sky outside.

"Maybe," shrugged Sirius, leaning against the wall.

"I think it's going to be overcast all day." Remus pointed out.

"I hope. I don't like rain." Peter grimaced.

"Are you sure you can't just catch us up when she comes, Padfoot?," James inquired, looking at his friend, "I'm sure we won't be that far ahead."

"No I can't. I don't want her getting any ideas that it's just us today, on a date." Sirius replied.

"But you already told her!—if you're so afraid of her thinking it's a date, why'd you even ask her to go?" Remus pondered.

"Because there are steps here to follow, okay Moony? It's a science and I have to go about it in the right way, in order! I need to keep my upper hand!"

"You are weird and complicated and your philosophy about girls is wacked."

"Here she comes." James noted, smiling at their interaction.

Fiona Etherton came down the staircase with her Ravenclaw girlfriends in a seemingly good mood and spotted the boys. There were giggles as she said goodbye to her friends before joining the Gryffindors, and Michelle waved to James.

"Hello Sirius, boys." Fiona greeted sweetly, a white headband in her brunette curls.

" 'Lo!" answered Peter.

"You ready to go?" the Black boy asked.

"Of course," she responded.

"Do you think we could avoid Filch's queue? I don't fancy being scolded at the moment." Remus remarked.

About four minutes later the Marauders were cleared to leave the castle and had just stepped outside when the caretaker screeched at them, waving his checklist around in the process:

"Remember what I told you hooligans—I'm watching you! You'd better not bring back even a piece of _lint_ from Zonko's, understand?!"

"Wow." Fiona stated, looking at Filch.

"Aw, that's his way of showing us he cares!" Sirius clarified, putting his arm around her shoulders as they commenced walking.

"Hooligans, huh?"

"You should hear the pet names we have for him," quipped James. They all laughed as she happily settled into Sirius' arm embrace and passed a group of girls, who so happened to be his fifth year Gryffindor admirers. They pouted as the group strolled by and gave Fiona unfriendly glares, and the Keeper Elizabeth Green blanched a bit as she gawked.

The walk to the village was fair enough. The other Marauders had not spent such extended amounts of time with Fiona like Sirius had and discovered that she was a pretty amicable girl with noticeable wit of her own. At some point the subject of Quidditch teams came up and they spoke on that vividly until they reached Hogsmeade. Lily, meanwhile, also had a pleasant walk with Marcus and arrived at the small town a little before her roommates did.

"Where would you like to go first?," questioned Marcus, "Are you hungry or anything?"

"I'm sure I will be for lunch, but not right now," the red head answered, "I don't really mind where we go…"

"All right. Well, there is that music shop—I've been wanting to go there. And the general store, and Zonko's of course."

"We can start with the music shop, that sounds good. And as for Zonko's, I didn't know that side of you existed, Marcus."

"I appreciate quality humor!," Marcus stated, smirking a bit. She laughed lightly, "After you Ms. Evans."

He let her move ahead of him and they strolled in the direction of the music shop, striking up conversation about something else. Nearby a group of students had just walked into the village and one of its members saw Lily and her fellow prefect walking away together, looking content. Snape stopped along with his Housemates and watched them with furrowed brows and his lips pressed in a firm line. So she _was_ spending time with Hamilton; the Slytherin had not been entirely sure of his sparse observations that Lily was going around with the Hufflepuff, but now he knew that his hunch was justified. Snape would keep his eye on Hamilton, make sure he stayed in place….

"Let's go." Avery mumbled after they had peered around for a moment. He veered off to the left with his four dorm mates beside him, though Severus was the last to follow. They were going to the Shrieking Shack before heading to the Hog's Head, where they would be meeting a handful of other Slytherins.

Consequently, the first destination of the Marauders was, fittingly so, Zonko's. They spent a good 40 minutes in the joke shop and when Sirius initially took Fiona to show her his favorite section in the store (the explosive items), James told the remaining two that they needed to buy things for their next prank, the one he had hastily planned to make up to Sirius.

"It's not extravagant or anything, but you two can help," he noted, throwing an orange box into a bag.

"When will we be carrying it out?" Remus asked.

"I was thinking the day of the Quidditch match. A nice pre or post game event."

"Padfoot would definitely appreciate it." Peter remarked.

The next stop for them was Honeydukes, and they spent half an hour in the sweet shop where they ran into Frank and Alice.

"Dorcas told us you lot were going for drinks at one—" Alice began.

"Yeah, we are," affirmed Sirius.

"And that we'd all meet up at that time. Lovely, then!" she finished, smiling.

"Uh!..." James uttered, appearing surprised at the news.

"Who is 'we all' exactly?" Sirius pondered, looking just as surprised.

"Oh, everyone, you know! Well, minus Lily…" Alice said.

"It's pushing one o'clock now," Frank informed, checking his watch, "Alice and I can go get a table now, let you all finish up here."

"Um, sure!" the Potter boy responded after looking at his friends.

"See you at the three Broomsticks then!"

Alice smiled at Fiona and the couple left those five hand in hand as Sirius turned to face his female companion.

"We didn't know about our Housemates having drinks with us until right now; we weren't aware it was going to turn into a Gryffindor social event," he relayed.

"It's the curse of being so popular." James quipped quietly. Sirius and Fiona both grinned, as did Remus and Peter.

"Is that all right with you?" the Black boy wondered, looking at her again.

"It's fine," the Ravenclaw replied, "I think it will be nice to get to know your Housemates a little better."

"All right then!"

When Alice and Frank arrived at the active pub it was full of rowdy students like usual, and the chance of finding table room for 11 people seemed a little grim.

"Hello Madam Rosmerta!" hailed Alice as they squeezed up to the bar.

"Oh—hello Alice dear!" she replied, turning around with two mugs in her hand. She no doubt looked very busy.

"First Hogsmeade trip of the term." Frank mentioned.

"Oh yes, you've got to love it!," The matron set the glasses down on the counter and gestured towards two fourth years, "Here you are loves!"

"So what are the chances of finding room for 11 people to sit?"

"Together? At one table?," Rosmerta questioned, sounding somewhat shocked. Frank smiled guiltily, "Look around and you tell me, darling." She moved to the right to fetch glasses for strawberry soda.

"What if we were to tell you it was for a few of your favorite customers and their mates?" Alice tried, smiling.

"Would these favorite customers consist of Misters Potter and Black?" the owner inquired, filling the mugs and sounding amused.

"They would!"

Rosmerta gave a reflective sigh as she finished up with the sodas and handed them to three seventh years with a warm nod. The couple watched her hopefully and when she turned back around to them, wiping her hands on her apron, she said:

"I will see what I can do, but you two should try to use that coercive attitude on your peers as well!"

"Thanks Madam Rosmerta!" grinned Frank as she moved from behind the bar and into the crowd.

About five minutes later the two Gryffindors had secured two tables for their expected party and pushed them together (with the use of magic). The Marauders walked in right afterward and spotted Alice and Frank towards the middle of the establishment, appearing as though they had to defend their ample space from other, needy students. Remus and Peter instantly went to join them but Sirius and James sought to greet the young pub owner before they did so.

"Hello Rosie! Did you miss us?" James voiced as they approached the counter, wearing a charming smile.

"Of course I did boys! I always look forward to Hogwarts' first trip of the year," she replied, beaming at them.

"Oh Rosie, you're making us blush!" Sirius commented.

"I do believe there is very little that can make you blush, Sirius Black," He grinned and Rosmerta then noticed Fiona at his side, "And who is this lovely witch? I've seen you before dear, I know it."

"I'm Fiona, in Ravenclaw," the brunette smiled.

"Such manners Padfoot!" James jokingly scoffed. The two women smiled.

"You're right! I'm ashamed. Fiona here was nice enough to accompany me to Hogsmeade today." Sirius revealed.

"Well you three better get to your table before other kids steal your seats. I'll be there shortly," Rosmerta nodded. She then muttered for only Sirius to hear, glancing knowingly at the Ravenclaw, "And _you_—behave yourself!"

"I normally do!" he answered, gaping in an entertained manner as they departed for their pre-claimed spot.

Mary, Dorcas and Marlene were the next ones to arrive at the Broomsticks with a few bags of purchased items and Marlene appeared to have an uncomfortable smile on her face.

"So nice of you ladies to join us for drinks—we didn't know you were going to! Waite was oh so kind to let us know." Sirius announced at their presence. Dorcas gave him an appraising look with a quirked eyebrow as she removed her gloves and Mary unwrapped her scarf.

"Like you really care," she dryly pointed out. Remus chuckled.

"Of course we don't!" Peter interjected.

"Yeah, we can't turn down attention!" James said. There was laughter and Sirius noticed the rather solemn look on Marlene's countenance.

"All right Marlene?" he pondered cheerfully.

"Er, just fine!" the pureblood told him in a would be happy voice, running a hand through her hair to give it volume and not making eye contact.

"Hiya everyone, James!" a joyful voice questioned from behind the girls standing up. They all attuned to it and saw Michelle Parks there grinning and removing her coat, her face a little flushed from the cold of outside. (Two of her friends she had come with had found room at the bar's counter).

"Michelle!" Fiona smiled widely, putting an arm up.

"Hey!" James said, standing up halfway at her presence.

"Hello." Remus and Marlene greeted while Mary and Frank nodded in acknowledgment.

"Everyone's here then!," Alice noted, "Are you girls going to sit down?"

As it was, on one side of the table sat Alice, Frank, Remus an empty chair and Peter, while on the other side sat Sirius, Fiona, an empty chair, James and two more empty chairs. The standing witches all examined the seating arrangement while Peter perked up hopefully; consequently, Marlene hurriedly moved forward and took the seat in between Remus and Peter, beating Mary to it without contest. The Macdonald girl gave a small frown as Peter slumped back down, and Michelle moved to occupy the seat in between Fiona and James. Dorcas threw a sharp glance in her direction then sat down on James' right without delay, leaving Mary to the last chair beside her.

"Right. So who wants to flag down Rosie?" Sirius wondered, craning to search the full pub for the owner.

"How has your day been so far?" James asked Michelle exclusively.

"Oh, pretty good! But it's getting a bit cold outside; it'll be nice to have a butterbeer!," the blonde assured, "So how has it been with Fiona?"

"A non stop laugh fest," he told her with his chin resting on his fist. Michelle giggled slightly.

"So, Dorcas, y-you've been all right so far today, yeah?" Peter pondered.

"Yeah, no worries," she said a bit slowly.

"And Lily's with Marcus?" Remus posited.

"Yes. We haven't seen her since the walk over here." Mary confirmed, arms resting on the table. About a minute later Madam Rosmerta showed up at their table, ready to take orders on her pad.

"What'll it be, loves?" she questioned. The most popular response was butterbeer no doubt, but there were some variations for good measure.

"I'll have a cherry soda pop please, with ice cream!" Alice told her merrily.

"Oooh—that sounds good! I'll have the same, but no ice cream." Marlene added. The matron nodded.

"Can I have hot chocolate along with my butterbeer?" Remus inquired.

"And I'll take a dragon's heart as well." Sirius finished.

"Not a problem! Come back when you're 17 for that dragon's heart and I'll get everything else right now." Rosmerta explained, giving a flashy smile before walking away. The teenagers all grinned. (A dragon's heart was an alcoholic beverage).

"Fine, I'll come back, in about two months." Sirius smirked.

"It was a nice try though, Sirius." Frank commended, smiling.

When their drinks arrived not too long afterward, the subject of raising a toast came up.

"To what?" Mary pondered, looking down the table.

"To butterbeer." Peter suggested, lifting his in the air.

"To good drinks, since not everyone has butterbeer," corrected Alice, raising her glass.

"To Gryffindor!" Sirius proclaimed valiantly.

"To Ravenclaw as well!" Fiona added, looking at him saucily. He grinned.

"To Hogwarts in general." Remus mollified, half smiling.

"To good friends." Mary offered, glancing at her roommates and the Lupin boy.

"To people you may fancy!" Michelle quickly stated, then blushing some. There was a bit of quiet, collective laughter as Fiona smiled at Sirius, Marlene's shoulders fell from peering at them and James quirked his eyebrows at the remark, but smiled.

"To Quidditch!" Dorcas announced defiantly, breaking through the "romantic" moment after giving Michelle a pointed look.

"Here here!," James grinned, turning to look at his fellow Chaser briefly, "How about, to life? Cheers mates!" They all vocally agreed and brought their glasses and bottles together, only to take their first sips right afterward.

Forty five minutes later their drinks had been drained, second rounds had been ordered for some and the empty containers stood forgotten on the table top as conversation floated through the air. As a whole, the topics of classes, professors, Quidditch and even Voldemort were discussed, and the eleven were now talking in smaller groups about various things. Frank, Alice and Remus chatted away, Sirius and Fiona spoke in low voices with lots of suggestive smiles, Michelle and James talked contently with another and Dorcas, Peter and Mary conversed while Marlene gave occasional input; otherwise, she toyed with her mug and shot infrequent, somber glances at Sirius and Fiona. At one point, after what seemed like one giggle too many to be ignored, Dorcas turned towards James and his blonde friend to investigate.

"Well something's apparently hilarious—what is it?" the Meadowes girl questioned.

"Huh?" the captain responded, turning to study her with a humorous smile on his face. Michelle gazed down at her as well, having just laughed.

"You two keep laughing. What's so funny?"

"James." Michelle stated, grinning at him.

"Really?" Dorcas wondered, drumming her fingers on the surface and looking between them.

"Michelle can throw out a joke too," he observed.

"Definitely not as well as you! I'm the one who can't stop laughing," the Ravenclaw commented.

"Clearly." Dorcas muttered, putting dark hair behind her ear and turning back to Mary and Marlene.

When Lily and Marcus walked into the Three Broomsticks to escape the rainy drizzle that had begun, it was only to find it extremely packed with their fellow pupils.

"Deserted as always—wonderful!" Marcus remarked as they stood near the doorway and surveyed the pub.

"Do you want to stay?" Lily asked.

"Dunno…" The Muggleborn then spotted a full table near the back that was occupied by all of her fellow sixth year Gryffindors speaking with each other merrily. She observed that the Parks and Etherton Ravenclaw witches were there sitting next to Potter and Black, which was not a surprise, and Marlene was the furthest she could be away from Sirius appearing somewhat somber. Should they join them?...

"Oy, it's your mates," Marcus pointed out, seeing them as well, "Do you want to join them?"

"Um…," Lily started, biting her lip. They would have to make room for two more which would then take the count up to 13, a large number for such a confined space…," Er, no. It's okay. They look happy without interruptions." _Except Marlene. Poor girl…_, she added.

"All right," he nodded, "So what d'you say—stay here and brave it, or venture somewhere else?" She looked at him and then said:

"Well, there's always Puddifoot's, and it's tolerable on any day other than Valentine's. We can brave that."

"Works for me," the blond chuckled. The red head gave her Housemates and the Ravenclaws one last glance before turning around to exit the establishment alongside Marcus.

Some time after two o'clock, the eleven teenagers left money on the table to pay for their drinks and prepared to disband, precipitated by the fact that the friends Michelle had come with were waiting rather impatiently at the bar for them to be done.

"Do you ever stop and think how out of place this all is?" Mary asked Remus as everyone stood and gathered their possessions.

"What do you mean?" he responded, putting his coat on.

"All of us—Gryffindors—going round together so far this year. It never happened in the past, not all ten."

"Yeah, you're right. Lily and James' bad status prevented it no doubt. But they're getting past it now, or trying anyway, so…" A moment of silence followed his trailed off sentence.

"I'm glad for it though. Makes things less tense—easier," she smiled.

"I agree." Remus half smiled.

"Thanks for inviting me to come, James. It was fun." Michelle told him on the other side of the table, "I'm sorry my friends are quietly pressuring me to leave!"

"They could've joined us," the captain half smiled, hands in his pockets.

"Oh. Er… no. It was fine this way. One of them… doesn't really care for Sirius."

"What?!" James pondered, eyes widening in surprise and a trace of humor.

"Yes… she thinks he's a bit of a womanizer."

The Potter boy laughed and peered at the wizard in question swiftly. Sure, Sirius did not like romantic commitment but that did not necessarily make him a womanizer! He really hadn't even been with _that_ many girls!

"Well, I guess I'll see you later, then." Michelle bid, looking at him.

"Before you go, I wanted to ask you something," he notified, "Slughorn's having a Halloween party on Thursday for his Slug Club and I was wondering if you'd like to come. With me." The blonde's face broke into that flattering smile of hers and heat began to color her cheeks.

"Really?" she inquired.

"Yeah. But I think you have the right to know—I'll have another date."

"Oh?..." Her body language rapidly switched from happiness to caution.

"Yes—Remus. So you'll have to share me." James revealed. Michelle giggled intensely and then stated, when done:

"I think I can handle that! And yes, I would be _glad_ to go with you!"

"May we leave now?" Marlene murmured to Dorcas, walking next to her and having just said goodbye to Frank and Alice.

"Yes Marlene," the Chaser answered, holding back a sigh. She then snapped her fingers at Mary who was near Remus to get her attention, "Mary, we're ready."

"Oh—bye Dorcas! Marlene." Peter hailed, hearing this as Mary went to join them. Dorcas nodded.

"You're off?," Sirius started audibly looking past Fiona, having caught Peter's farewell, "We'll see you girls in the common room later, then."

"I'm sure," the Meadowes girl noted.

"Later Marlene!"

The McKinnon girl closed her eyes at the sound of his goodbye addressed to her and took a second before answering, also with shut eyes.

"Goodbye Sirius, Fiona," she stated. Fiona looked pleasantly surprised at the mention of her name.

"Let's go," Dorcas advised Mary, following Marlene who had already began walking, "See you James."

"Uh, yeah!" he called back late as the witches progressed to the door. Once outside in the drizzling rain, Marlene let out a heavy sigh as she shook her head.

"I do not want to willingly spend any more of my personal time with them when they are together," she glumly reported.

"Sorry Marlene!" Dorcas sympathized.

"It was hard for you, wasn't it?" Mary questioned.

"Ugh! Yes…" Marlene admitted.

"Well, when he brings her around from now on we'll just be elsewhere, now that our suspicion of you fancying him in confirmed. _We_ won't put you through it anymore." This was met by a weary chuckle.

"So back to the castle or more Hogsmeade?" Dorcas prompted.

"I say Hogwarts. I do not want to be caught in any coming rain!" Mary mentioned.

"I'd like to get back too. I've had my fill of the village for today," the pureblood added.

"All right," the Meadowes girl consented as they headed on the path back to school, "Do either of you notice or think that Parks giggles entirely too much?..."

*

When the new school week initiated on Monday, James went into irrefutable Quidditch mode. He scheduled as many practices as Crimps would allow and their first match was against Hufflepuff on Friday. The first game of the school year however was set for Halloween, and would showcase the ravens against the snakes; James had scheduled practice on this day as well though it would only be an hour, for the day was already full with Slughorn's party and the premiere Quidditch match. There was also the prank for the Marauders to think of. James had decided to execute it on Friday after the game, to rid of the possibility of Gryffindor being forced to forfeit if by some unlikely chance the prank was linked back to him. After a tough practice and thorough cleansing in the prefect's bathroom on Tuesday night, James along with Remus and Peter told Sirius about the simple prank they had formulated as a surprise; the Black boy had been quite happy to hear this and approved of the plan in all its non-complexity. Peter and Remus had also readily agreed to go with their two friends to the Potions professor's Halloween gathering on Thursday, whereas Lily was finding it difficult to convince her friends.

"I can't believe none of you want to go with me." Lily stated. The five girls were in their room with the door open to allow Autumn entry whenever she turned back up. Mary and Alice looked up at her as Dorcas laid sprawled out on her bed, staring at the top of it.

"There'll be free food! And the good kind, because you know he likes to spoil himself!" the prefect tried again, beseechingly.

"There'll be good food in the Great Hall too for the Halloween feast." Mary noted. Lily frowned at her then turned to the Waite girl.

"Alice, we're both in Potions together! You won't go?"

"Oh, Lily!," she began, "I'm sorry, but it just doesn't sound… very exciting."

"Exactly! Hearing Slughorn going on about all those _special_ students, then going on about himself even longer—ugh. No thank you," the Macdonald girl attested.

"Dorcas?" Lily ventured, gazing at the witch.

"I think I'd rather peel my own fingernails off," Dorcas noted in a strained voice, physically tired from her practice, "Mary is right. Besides, I know I'll be too knackered from practice to go."

"Do you yourself have to go?" Marlene pondered.

"No, but if I don't I'm almost certain he'd stop the party to personally come and find me," the red head wryly pointed out, "I would just like someone to endure it with me!"

"What about Marcus?" Alice questioned.

"I can bring two people, and he's already the comedic relief I will surely need."

"_I_ will go with you then, Lily." Marlene offered.

"Oh thank you Marlene! You're the best!" the Muggleborn said gratefully, shaking her fists in resolution and smiling at her.

*

A/N: We shall meet again next week.


	15. It's Raining Snapes

A/N: So, this chapter is two weeks late but I have a good excuse—I started school again for the summer _and_ wound up in the hospital for dehydration, lol! So, I apologize for that. But Dumbledore appears in this chapter for those who like him! I know I do, ha ha. Also, this is the longest chapter to date! Dude.

* * *

**Chapter 15 **

As was expected, Thursday brought the Halloween feast, Quidditch match and Slughorn's party. The sporting event began at noon and the captain of the lions made his team go to the game together so they could sit and analyze the plays as a unit; the Marauders understood James' current Quidditch-or-nothing attitude and sat nearby their friend with Frank and Alice. The Potter boy and most his team was very into the match (Elizabeth, on the other hand, was very aware of the fact that Sirius sat one bench above her) and rooting for the Ravenclaws, since he told Michelle he would and obviously disliked the Slytherins. The game was interesting and good with both sides playing well, although the snakes procured some fouls for illegal moves and hurt the raven Keeper without Crimps noticing. It lasted 40 minutes and came to an end when both Seekers found the Snitch and literally battled it out to make sure it was secure in their hand; they fought in the air while both held firmly onto the winged ball and Crimps flew over to break it up with her whistle screeching non-stop, as all four Houses stood and watched in anticipation. When the Quidditch professor had separated the two Seekers after much effort, it was only to see Regulus grasping the Snitch triumphantly and the Ravenclaw looking very upset with a black eye. Three of the four Houses all groaned, disappointed, but the Slytherins rejoiced loudly and gladly as the commentator, Ethan Coombs, dully noted the snakes won.

"Am I going to have to fight someone?" Mitchell asked frantically as the students all made their way back to the castle.

"No, Mitchell! That was just Black being a typical Slytherin," assured Amy, while the Gryffindors, Marlene and Sirius walked back together.

"Or a typical Black." Sirius grumbled. Dorcas pat his back sympathetically.

"So what happens when _I_ have to play against him?" the third year pondered.

"You'll outfly him, that's what!" James said confidently.

"Mitch, your teammates will watch out for you, I know it." Marlene told him, walking next to her brother.

"Of course we will." Rodrigo remarked.

"But you're a wicked player Mitchell, so don't worry too much." Dorcas commented.

James also scheduled Gryffindor's last practice of the week for 6:30 that evening in order to be done by 7:30, since the Potions master's festivities started at eight o'clock. The team took a fairly early dinner and got to spend some time with their friends during the feast, which featured live bats and story telling jack-o-lanterns, but they were gone from their table by 6:15. After a short but intense practice that included a rousing mini speech from the captain about the impending match, James hurried back in order to take a shower and be ready by 7:50—that was the time he and Sirius were going to pick up the girls at their common room.

"All right," James exhaled, peering in the mirror near his bed and touching his hair, "I'm ready."

"Why are you even bothering with it Prongs?," Peter prompted, "You _know_ it's not going to listen to you."

"I know. I wet it in the shower and it's already back to its usual state," he half smiled.

"But you prefer it that way, so let's go! The Ravenclaws await." Sirius mentioned, standing near the door.

"We'll see you two there, then. Wait for us outside." James announced as he walked to meet his best friend and they left the room.

"Right." Remus replied in a far away voice, looking over an Astronomy assignment.

"We don't have to stay the entire two hours—definitely not more than one." Lily muttered to Marlene as they approached the professor's office minutes later at ten past eight, already hearing the noise issuing from the room.

"You have rounds tonight don't you?" the pureblood responded.

"Yes, which is the perfect way out. It's a bit of a shame Marcus couldn't make it though." Marcus had gotten caught up in some after feast debacle in the Hufflepuff House that required his skills as a prefect and so he had been forced to negate his ability to accompany them to the soirée.

Marlene nodded and then said, half smiling:

"I don't think it'll be too horrible, Lily."

"No, because I have you, but don't underestimate! If only one of you girls were in the Slug Club as well...," the red head commented, shaking her head a bit, "Well, in we go!"

Lily gave a small sigh before pushing Slughorn's cracked door open all the way, and when she did it was to see the office full of babbling students holding snacks, most of them Slug Club members and many of them not. It was clear that the professor had magically widened the room to accommodate multiple people. Floating platters of delicious looking food floated in the air by themselves and when the witches spotted Slughorn, he was speaking with a man they had never seen before and three students. Snape noticed Lily and her friend almost instantly from his corner of the dungeon he was sharing with Rosier, Regulus, Avery and Mulciber (Rosier's guests), and engaged once more with his Housemates discussing their previous topic after a moment.

"Lily, you're here! Wonderful!," Slughorn proclaimed, coming from the left unexpectedly with a large smile and the mystery man at his side, "How are you? And I see you've brought Ms. McKinnon… salutations, dears—happy Halloween!"

"Hello professor." Lily answered.

"Good evening," added Marlene.

"Please help yourself to the tasty food! Oh, but before I go on, where are my manners? An introduction! This warm gentleman next to me is Cecil Boderick. He is a werewolf." Slughorn explained. The two girls looked at one another, very shocked, before turning to gaze at Boderick who was smiling faintly. He was wearing semi formal navy blue robes and had a plethora of dark brown hair and neatly groomed goatee to match.

"Oh, don't worry girls, I did not 'out' Cecil or anything! He is more than willing to tell anyone of his lycanthropy!" the professor noted.

"Yes; in my country there is no stigma attached to being a werewolf. We do not experience the discrimination that werewolves in the UK experience." Boderick reported in an unidentifiable accent.

"Where do you live?" Marlene asked, interested.

"Denmark. I was born and bitten in Wales, but my family moved back to our home land when they realized the life I would have here and how bleak it would be."

"There's really no contempt for werewolves?" Lily wondered.

"Oh no! The Danish see it as just another, though inconvenient, condition. If only the rest of the wizarding world held the same views…" the werewolf observed.

"Wow," marveled Marlene.

"I invited Cecil for the spirit of the day, and he gracefully accepted!" chuckled Slughorn.

"I love speaking with young wizards and trying to keep them open minded." Boderick nodded.

"Yes, a worthy feat…. But! Socialize girls! Eat, chat—I'm sure you noticed your Housemates over there. We will meet again later!"

Boderick inclined his head towards the witches as he walked off with Slughorn and Lily and Marlene looked through the crowd for the other Gryffindors.

"Oh, the Marauders!," the McKinnon girl chirpily said when they found them, but in the next instance her face fell and her tone changed, "_Oh_…"

The Muggleborn knew why her friend's demeanor had altered: Michelle and Fiona were with the boys.

"Marlene, I didn't know they were going to invite them—the Ravenclaws!," Lily told her, upset that she did not deduce this possibility or think to, "I should have guessed. I'm sorry; I wouldn't have brought you!"

"She's always with them—him—now, isn't she?" Marlene observed.

"We don't have to stay! We can go if you want."

"No, no… that's… I just, don't want a repeat of Saturday…," There was a stint of silence, "We can stay, I would just prefer to not be around them."

"Okay. No worries," the red head soothingly consented.

Consequently, the four Gryffindor boys discovered the two, female sixth years conversing amongst themselves near the door and perked up.

"Lily brought Marlene." Remus said.

"Call them over." Sirius instructed.

"Evans! Marlene!" James shouted, waving an arm. The two looked up and saw they had been spotted, and apparently expected to go over there. Lily looked back to her room mate.

"We'll just say hello then go with Melody, the Head Girl you know?" she relayed.

"Yes." Marlene agreed, studying the six awaiting teenagers.

" 'Lo!" Sirius greeted when the two groups met in the middle of the office.

"Have you eaten the food yet? It's great!" Peter commented, a crème puff with orange crème in his hand.

"No, not yet. We were just speaking with Slughorn and Mr. Boderick." Marlene replied, peering through the crowd for no one in particular.

"Oh, he's wicked isn't he?" James remarked. His best friend and date nodded.

"It was very fascinating, what he said about Denmark." Remus mentioned.

"It was. Very cool to know." Lily answered.

"So, how has your Halloween been?"

"Just fine." Marlene piped, arms behind her back.

"Yes, good feast, first Quidditch match—oh, sorry about your unfair loss." Lily interjected, speaking to Fiona and Michelle.

"Aren't we all." Michelle said, clicking her tongue.

"Gryffindor will make up for it tomorrow." James half smiled. Marlene looked furtively at Lily and she caught what she was implying through nonverbal messages.

"Right. Well… we're going to go now. We'll see you lot later. Remus, I'll see you in a bit for rounds," the Muggleborn said.

"Oh." Remus noted with surprise at their proclaimed departure.

"Wait, you two aren't going to stay with us?" James questioned.

"Erm… no." Marlene responded nervously.

"Why not?" Peter asked, looking between the witches.

"It's, uh…," Lily slowly began, searching for the right words, "Not necessary."

"Who else are you going to hang out with?" Sirius inquired, half chuckling incredulously. Fiona and Peter laughed lightly; Marlene glanced at them.

"Melody Britches, maybe a few other people," Lily said, "But, yeah. So, see you then." The girls turned and walked away some before James spoke up:

"Is it us?" The prefect looked back at him and saw that he appeared somewhat perplexed and disbelieving. Lily glanced at Marlene who grimaced and shook her head before disappearing off, confident her friend could handle it.

"No," she answered a tad fearfully.

"Then what is it?" the captain persisted. Lily did not, could not, give an answer and simply gazed back feebly at the six looking at her.

"So it is us, or me." James concluded in a strained voice. She looked at him with a furrowed brow and an expression that conveyed things were going wrong quickly and to her dismay.

"I thought we were supposed to have been starting over, Evans. Giving second chances," he reminded her, stepping forward and lowering his voice so the others could not hear very well. James seemed irked.

"Look, I…" Lily commenced, feeling helpless and annoyed herself. When she knew nothing appropriate vocalized would appease him, she exhaled and mumbled she "had to find Marlene" before walking away.

James opened his arms to his friends as he turned back around, at a loss.

"Dunno mate," shrugged Sirius, an arm around Fiona's waist.

"Whatever," the Potter boy grumbled, musing his hair. Only Lily had the power to make him feel this frustrated and confused.

"Forget it. Let's grab more food!" Michelle offered, smiling at him and tentatively taking his hand in hers.

"Lovely suggestion!" James grinned at her, definitely conscious of the physical move she had made.

The party was amicable enough. Lily and Marlene did leave after an hour but spent their time there with the Head Girl and a couple of her fellow Hufflepuffs, aware of how oddly they felt for practically snubbing their Housemates. The Marauders had notable fun but did in most situations they were in, and Remus spoke with Cecil Boderick for 20 minutes by himself at a certain point. The Slytherins kept to themselves and spent their time talking mutinously about everyone there, especially the Gryffindors and the two mindless witches with them, and did not spare the "half breed" Boderick either; conversely, Snape saw Lupin talking to the self-proclaimed werewolf and thought it was oh-too-fitting. After Marlene and Lily departed, Remus left at 9:30 to ensure he would make it for his rounds on time and Sirius and Fiona exited a few minutes later with Fiona giggling under her breath—it could only be assumed where they would go. When the remaining Marauders decided they were ready to leave and James offered Michelle a walk back to her Tower, she told him she would venture back with her roommate Tavia and thanked him for an enjoyable time. As Peter and James strolled out of the office, Mulciber nudged Avery to alert his dorm mates of the departure of their enemies. The Slytherins got up and made to follow the lions, intent on cornering them outside in a vacant part of a corridor, but before they could make it out their Head of House called to them.

"Regulus! Come, m'boy! Cecil is dying to hear all about our House's spectacular win this afternoon and the part you played!," Slughorn boomed, "And you—Evan, Severus, Derrick, Walton—as my students, you _must_ stay! There's still time!"

The five of them peered at each other angrily and knew they had to oblige, even grudgingly. They could not deny their Head of House.

When Lily and Remus returned from their active rounds that night (they had found five groups of kids out past curfew attempting to continue celebrating Halloween), the Evans girl hoped to discover James in the common room—she had to talk to him about the awkwardness at the party. She was not let down and saw him sitting near a sleeping Peter, completing homework and talking to a standing Amy Dunesfield, who was smiling. Lily followed the Lupin boy over to the three of them feeling somewhat antsy.

"Hi Amy." Remus said.

"Hey Remus, Lily!" the seventh year brightly responded. James gazed up at the arrivals and the red head said hello in return.

"Where's Sirius?" he pondered, glancing at Peter.

"Er…," James half smiled, "Still occupied, I'm guessing." Remus nodded, smirking; he knew what that meant.

"Well I'm going upstairs. See you in a bit."

"Okay."

"Night all." Remus bid, heading for the staircase.

"Goodnight Remus." Lily replied. James then turned his attention to her.

"Evans?" he wondered coolly.

"Can we—can I, tell you something?" she posited. His facial expression changed to that of mild surprise.

"Uh, yeah."

"I'm going up to bed too then," Amy notified, sensing the topic did not need a third listener, "Lily. Jimmy." The prefect waved goodbye as the captain rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Thanks, Dunesfield!" he said as she trounced off.

The were temporary silence between them.

"So what's up?" James inquired, looking at her.

"It's about Slughorn's party," Lily began, "Potter, we weren't you or your mates because we didn't want to hang out with you. I mean, it's happened before."

"I know. I didn't understand."

She sighed heavily before launching into it again.

"I do mean it—you know, the trying anew thing?," she initiated. He nodded, feeling better instantly, "But… the reason we didn't join you lot is because, well… Marlene."

"What's wrong with Marlene?" James pondered.

"She doesn't feel, um, very… comfortable, around the Ravenclaws. Etherton. And Parks!" This was added hastily to make sure he did not catch on that it was the former alone.

"_Really_?" he awed, studying her.

"Yeah." Lily confirmed.

"But Marlene gets along with practically everyone!"

"It's not that she doesn't like them, it's just… weird for her, so, that's… I can't really say much more."

"No, that's fine," James asserted, "Wow."

"So now you know. And if it comes up again in the future, well, don't take it as a sign that I—we—hate you." Lily explained.

"Thanks for letting me know, Evans. It… was cool of you. You wouldn't have let me in on that before now."

"I _am_ progressing then!"

He laughed once and she recognized that it was devoid of the haughtiness she typically heard with it, but that laugh usually came out in the company of many. Lily thought this laugh suited him, a lot better.

"So… Jimmy?" the red head prompted, raising an eyebrow and sounding amused.

"Ugh! Amy used to call me that to get under my skin, and it worked!" James revealed. This time Lily laughed once.

"Got it. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Potter."

"Yeah, see you Evans," he remarked, watching as she moved for the girls' staircase and Peter gave a loud snort.

…

_The second year Gryffindors and Slytherins all sat around their desks attempting to carry out their assignment for the day which required them to make match boxes turn the color red and open by themselves, halfway into the Charms lesson. Lily's desk partner was Dorcas and both witches were currently somewhat distracted by the desk two spots over to their right. It was occupied by James Potter and Sirius Black, and the young wizard with the glasses seemingly felt the need to tell all of his roommates (who were sitting nearby) about their House's first Quidditch match of the season the next day. What made it distracting, however, was that the Potter boy was speaking loudly enough for much of the class to hear._

"_You aren't nervous, James?" Peter questioned in an awed voice._

"_Ha! For what?," he answered, "I'm going to be wicked in tomorrow's match! Ravenclaw doesn't stand a chance."_

"_You're a lot younger than the other players." Frank mentioned._

"_Which doesn't scare me. I'm smaller so I'll be able to get by much easier; they won't see me coming 'til it's too late! And the fact that I'm only a second year and on the team _proves_ what a good Chaser I am!" James explained._

"_Blitz thought so, if he wanted you for the team." Remus said, referring to Gryffindor's captain._

"_Exactly."_

"_Tomorrow will be fun." Sirius attested, grinning._

"_Oh, he is so _annoying_!," Lily declared testily as she focused on her task again, "He's going on and on about the Quidditch match and how he thinks he's brilliant—no one cares!"_

"_James is just excited about it, that's all. It's his first game." Dorcas responded._

"_That doesn't mean he has to brag! He was chosen for the team over a month ago! He should get over it." The Meadowes girl shrugged as Lily pointed her wand at her match box and uttered the spell in an irritated tone; a moment later the box was red and had shot open to reveal small matches._

"_That was only your third try – good job Lily!" Dorcas remarked. The red head smiled as someone approached the desk from the left._

"_Lily," he stated. The girls turned to see Snape standing there and Dorcas grimaced, facing her own match box to ignore him._

"_Hey Severus," the Muggleborn greeted warmly._

"_I have your book. I know you have Transfiguration next," the Slytherin relayed, handing her the textbook. (He had borrowed it since his had been blasted apart by Peter Pettigrew and a spell he had executed incorrectly)._

"_Oh, thanks!"_

"_So you've finished?," Snape inquired, looking at her work, "Good job—so have I. Now if only you could shut Potter up!"_

"_Ugh, I _know_! I wish I could." Lily revealed, glowering at James once._

"_If Gryffindor loses I'm going to laugh in his face. He is such a twit!" _

"_He is not!" Dorcas suddenly interjected, glaring at Snape, "He just happens to love Quidditch!"_

"_Yeah, way too much!," Severus sneered in return, "But whatever, Meadowes. I'll see you later Lily." The Slytherin walked away as Dorcas made a face at him and Lily drummed her fingers reflectively._

"He's_ the twit…"_

"_Just because Potter is acting dumb doesn't mean I want Gryffindor to lose," the red head noted, looking at her wand._

_At breakfast the following morning the lion and raven Houses were full of anticipation and excitement, and James was still boasting confidently and assuredly to those who would listen, mainly his teammates. Not long afterward, however, as the students of Hogwarts scrambled to get out to the stands before the game began and James stood glued to a wall of the locker room wide eyed, he was singing a different tune._

"_I can't do it," he steely said to Sirius, staring straight ahead._

"_You have to," came the reply._

"_No I don't. They can find another Chaser in five minutes."_

"_What happened to the James who's been going on about how great this match is going to be?" Sirius asked, studying him._

"_He died, about half an hour ago," the Potter boy observed, glancing sorrowfully at the taller boy, "Sirius, I can't go out there! I'm only 12! I was mental to think I can do this!"_

"_But you _love_ Quidditch!"_

"_Yeah, but—"_

"_And you're only mental if you don't go out there! James, you're an excellent Chaser; you will be brilliant. Not only that, but your whole team is depending on you to play. Peter, Remus and I are _expecting _you to play and the House is expecting you to score so we can win! It'll be fine." Sirius reported. James peered at him and at the same moment a group of students strolled by on its way to its House's seating section. Snape saw the two Gryffindors standing there with James looking somewhat afraid and he pointed them out to his dorm mates; he joined Gates, Mulciber and Rosier in mocking laughter as the Slytherins passed by, making themselves known._

"_Shutting them up should be all the motivation you need," the Black boy noted, glowering at their retreating forms._

"_Maybe I can throw the Quaffle in one of their faces, say it was an accident," James commenced, "You know, when I'm up in the air." He looked at Sirius and grinned, getting off the wall._

"_There you go," Sirius replied, smiling as well and handing him his broom which had been on the grass, "Just make sure your first goal is dedicated to me!"_

…

November first brought rain and caused the Gryffindor captain to be notably irritated.

"The heavens have it out for me." James flatly mentioned, staring out a window in the common room and watching the water fall from the sky.

"Maybe it'll stop! The match isn't 'til after lunch." Peter pointed out.

"I doubt it. It's supposed to rain all day." Remus said, unwrapping a Chocolate Frog.

"And it just had to be today, James Potter's first match as captain!" James grumbled.

"Look on the bright side Prongs—at least it's not snowing, or raining something dangerous!" Sirius commented.

"Like what?" Remus pondered.

"Like… raining Snapes. That would just be _terrifying_!"

Peter and Remus laughed and even James snorted with amusement, turning away from the window. The boys currently had a free period.

"I just wasn't expecting rain," the Potter boy sighed, "It's going to affect our plays. Maybe I would've seen this coming if I had been in Divination."

"Yeah… Peter, why didn't you warn him?!" Sirius accused. The other teenager looked bewildered.

"Just use _Impervius_ on your players, Prongs. That should be enough." Remus told him, inspecting his card.

"Merlin, Remus—of course!," James commented, visibly brightening up, "I forgot about that! You genius, you!"

"The rain won't impede the prank in any way, right? No using it as a lame excuse to get out of it?" Sirius wondered.

" 'Course not! It's gonna be inside anyway."

"Great, just checking. D'you think it will keep Kettleburn from having class?"

"Yeah right Padfoot," scoffed Peter, "That man wouldn't cancel class if it were raining _knives_!"

"Or Snapes." James added. The four of them laughed again.

During lunch the Gryffindor team sat together and could sense the Hufflepuff team sending looks its way, possibly to assess how the lions felt about the rain and playing in it. They were quite content however, especially after James told them about the water repellant charm, and they _were _playing Hufflepuff, as Kirby pointed out.

"When's the last time anyone was afraid to go up against them?" Rodrigo said.

The rest of the school seemed quite excited about the match as well, for Quidditch was Quidditch even with rain, and large scarlet, green, yellow and blue umbrellas were ready to be used to protect heads from the falling water. For the two Houses not participating, their allegiances were pretty ambiguous; Ravenclaw liked both Houses playing well enough and did not have a preference for the winner, whereas Slytherin disliked both Houses and if forced to choose would have picked Hufflepuff, since it was the lesser of two evils. The Gryffindors eagerly wished their team good luck as the seven members left early for locker room and the badgers did the same.

"You'll be brilliant Mitchell!" Marlene called as they walked away. Her brother was lucidly nervous—he had fantastic Chasers but knew, ultimately, the victory was on him.

"So what did Hamilton say to you about the match, Lily?" Mary asked.

"He said that while he supports inter-House bonds and me as a person, it is going to be difficult to watch Gryffindor get flattened today," the read head answered, half smiling, "I told him it must be difficult being so delusional." Her roommates laughed heartily.

Michelle wished James a warm greeting of luck and let him know her group of Ravenclaws was definitely rooting for his side before the Gryffindors left the Great Hall, and minutes later the team was lounging around in its locker room as the first round of students tromped to the stands. Amy and Dorcas took it upon themselves to cast the spell on their teammates to kill time as the captain, who had silently charmed himself, overlooked the clipboard one last time. James gave a small speech right before the team headed outside and attempted to impart some confidence in Mitchell, and when he was done the seven of them left the room. The Hufflepuffs were walking across the field the same time as the Gryffindors and Crimps stood in the middle, waiting for both teams and remaining completely dry; the badgers appeared to be impervious to the rain too and it seemed as though they all had been thinking along the lines of Remus. The vast, multi-colored umbrellas were up and the observers were already yelling with excitement, though it was not as audible through the rain.

"Captains, shake hands," Crimps commanded when the fourteen players were facing one another. James stepped forward and shook hands with the fifth year male captain, who gave a quick smile.

"All right—prepare to fly," the instructor alerted when they moved back. The students did as they were told and when Crimps saw that they were ready, nodded and blew her whistle.

"And they're up!," Ethan Coombs boomed over the microphone as the two groups shot into the sky and their Houses cheered, "The first match of the term for Gryffindor and _Hufflepuff_!" He had said his House's name with notable enthusiasm, earning extra shouts from the badgers.

"FAVORITISM!" Sirius hollered from his seat, sharing an umbrella with Peter and Remus. Those around him laughed.

"And the lions get the Quaffle first. Meadowes has it and flies past two Hufflepuff Chasers, with Potter and Dunesfield not too far off. Both of the teams' Beaters have started hitting Bludgers in all directions and the Seekers are circling the stadium casually! Mitchell McKinnon is the new Gryffindor Seeker and is apparently quite the player, if the rumors are true!"

"They are!" Marlene asserted loudly, suddenly. She then looked as if she realized what she had done had been uncharacteristic and surprising, appearing unsure. Her roommates smiled at her proudly and Sirius grinned, gazing at her.

"Meadowes passes to the newest Chaser, Dunesfield, who flies, bypassing a Hufflepuff Beater and her Bludger. Grisham, a Hufflepuff Chaser, goes after her and—oh! Stops Dunesfield! Dunesfield throws the Quaffle to the lions' captain Potter, who… who is instantly followed by both Hufflepuff Beaters and two Chasers! Either he's giving out Galleons or they know he's a pretty good player!" Coombs explained.

"More like amazing! Go Prongs!" Peter shouted.

"Ah, and a Bludger is hurled at Potter, who barely misses it! He throws the ball back to Meadowes as Welps sends his own Bludger towards Hufflepuff's Chaser Newton. Dunesfield flies right alongside Meadowes as she heads straight for the goals and Pippin, the Keeper. Pippin looks ready, Grisham is flying in on the left, Flores chases after a Hufflepuff Beater, Meadowes looks ready to score, Pippin is positioned, and… Meadowes scores! Oh… she scores. Gryffindor gets the first goal," the commentator relayed. The lions cheered happily as their umbrellas bounced up and down, and Dorcas' roommates and friends called her name gratefully.

"Well, it's only the first goal—nice job though, I suppose," Coombs remarked. McGonagall looked at him suspiciously, "Where are those Seekers? Ah—a little above the Slytherin stands; apparently no sign of the Snitch. Aaaaand Hufflepuff now has the Quaffle!..."

A little more than 20 minutes later, there were no fouls, the rain continued to persist adamantly and the score was 30 to 50, Gryffindor. James and Dorcas had scored twice and Amy once, and the Gryffindors were very pleased with the outcome, though, like much of the rest of the crowd, wanted the Snitch to show itself so they could escape the rain. (Many of the students had placed Heating Charms on themselves to maintain warmth). Consequently, their wish was granted 30 minutes into the game—the winged ball streaked across the gray sky near the faculty seats and the two Seekers, somewhere near Hagrid's hut, spotted it without difficulty. James could feel his exhilaration rise substantially as Mitchell and Harrington flew off in pursuit of the Snitch, but he knew to remain alert and intent on Chasing. He could hear Coombs dictating the details of the chase vibrantly and could feel the baited anticipation of the crowd as he shot past a Hufflepuff Chaser and easily swerved a Bludger. The captain saw Amy flying just a little below him and when he felt Dorcas align herself with his pattern, he let the ball drop into Amy's hands. Coombs was animatedly describing how the Seekers were doing twirling dance-like movement around the bottom of a lion goal in order to catch the frantic Snitch, and when Amy came up to prepare to score there was no need, for Coombs had declared:

"He catches the Snitch—McKinnon catches the Snitch! Gryffindor has 200 points. They win."

The victorious House stood on its feet and screamed its approval with some help from the Ravenclaws, as the Gryffindor Quidditch team congregated in the air and celebrated, with Mitchell as its focal point. The Hufflepuffs seemed to deflate but did not make overt noises of disappointment, whereas many of the Slytherins booed in their place.

"He did it!" Marlene proclaimed as she and Lily jumped and clapped with happiness.

"Go Mitchell, go Gryffindor!" Frank said merrily, his girlfriend laughing at his side and holding onto his arm.

"_Yes_! Brilliant!," Sirius cried, pumping a fist in the air, "Now let's go inside, where there is no rain!"

Mitchell was hailed as his House's hero for the rest of the day and all of the attention was obviously a new experience for him, which he was not entirely comfortable with. James told him to get used to it—he was a remarkable player on a remarkable team, so attention was bound to happen. Sirius proposed throwing a celebratory party in honor of the game in the common room around nine o'clock that night, but Remus _and_ James did not seem to be in favor of it.

"Jamesy, we won. You're on the team. You're _captain_. You like fun. Am I missing something?" Sirius wondered, staring at his best friend with confusing during their last class of the day.

"I just think it'd be better if we waited, for another day. Another match," he mentioned.

"The only other match that compares to the first match is the _final_ match! And it's the weekend! We _won_!"

"I know, and we will celebrate—the prank, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…" Sirius commented, his exasperation dying down a bit.

"We'll do it at dinner," James continued, "Besides, if we did both, we'd risk Moony getting in trouble twice and I don't think his frail prefect heart could take it." Peter, who sat next to James, laughed while Sirius' desk partner, Remus, turned back to face them.

"Thank you, James, for taking me and my 'frail heart' into consideration," the Lupin boy noted, in a shrewd tone.

"Always!" came the chipper response. Sirius half smiled but inwardly reflected on how James would have normally thought no less than to host a victory party.

Sirius and James made a trip to the Great Hall 15 minutes before dinner began with the supplies they had purchased in Hogsmeade in order to set up for the prank. It was not going to have the glitz and glamour of the first but it was targeting the Slytherins, again, and would surely annoy them (and most likely the rest of the school). They let the gray dust balls out under the Slytherin table as they sniggered to themselves and kept a constant eye on the entrance; when they were all out, the boys used their wands to make them invisible before turning to walk out and avoid early dinner goers. What they came face to face with was Argus Filch with folded arms, and it caught them off guard.

"What are you two doing?" he wheezed, glowering at them.

"We…" initiated James.

"I lost something at lunch," Sirius rapidly interjected, "Came to see if it was in here."

"Why are your wands drawn?" the caretaker inquired, still sounding threatening.

"To try and summon it! No luck," the Potter boy told him.

"And why didn't you look in the Lost and Found?"

"We did—it wasn't in there." Sirius clarified. Filch made a low growling noise under his breath as she stared at the two, arms still firmly folded.

"Er…," James started, making a strange face at the Squib's behavior, "We're going to go now!" He moved past Filch and his partner followed, glancing at the man as they walked out. Neither said anything until they were climbing the staircase.

"He really needs a hobby," Sirius commented, shaking his head, "I think he's just sour he _still_ hasn't gotten us this term!"

"Let's hope it stays that way, Padfoot," his best friend responded, stopping and gazing down the hallway ahead, "Because we left the boxes in the dining hall!"

Not even a half an hour later the boys were back in the hall for dinner with their roommates, Housemates and fellow pupils, a little cautious of Filch popping back up and brandishing the orange boxes in their faces, claiming he "had them now". Thankfully, he was nowhere in sight… which was slightly unusual.

"Okay, you blokes ready?" Sirius asked when he had taken the last swig of his drink, his plate clear of food.

"Why not?" Remus half shrugged, putting his napkin down as Peter nodded vigorously. They were not finished eating and the Black boy had evidently completed his meal early, but it was time to act and they could resume eating afterward.

"I know you're eager Wormtail, but do you think you could put your wand under the table where it belongs so we don't get caught before we even start?" James mumbled, holding his own wand under the surface and peering around as if nothing were about to happen.

"Yes—right! Sorry." Peter hastily said, following suit. The four friends were all on the same side of the table facing the Slytherins this evening in order to execute the prank, and they all had their wands out of view while striving to appear casual.

"Right. When I say strike," Sirius instructed, glancing at the snakes, "Strike."

Their wands were aimed at the Slytherin table from underneath their own and were obscured from sight by the Gryffindors on the other side of the table. The dust ball like forms became visible once more on the floor and gently rose to the top of the Slytherin table, causing the chatter of the occupants to die down a tad and focus on the novel entities. The Slytherins gazed at the gray poofs as they settled on the surface and began to darken; some of the students were prodding and inspecting the mysterious things, but it was obvious they had no idea where they had come from or what they were. A few of the pupils from other Houses had noticed the balls as well, but in a matter of moments everyone in the Great Hall was aware of their existence due to the explosive noise they emitted.

Under the guidance of four wands, the gray poofs manifested tiny mouths and let out either an awfully high pitched note, obnoxious shout or incessant babbling, all of which had no verbal break. The Slytherins all jumped back from the balls as they gained attention from the entire school; the poofs rose and put themselves in the snakes' faces, yelling, singing or speaking nonsense. The victims swatted them away but they evaded the contact and returned to their original spots, and when the students drew their wands to rid of them, the balls only got louder and ran from the impending magic. Laughter began as some of the Slytherins got out their seats to cease the poofs but this was futile since they could not seem to catch them and only made them more vocal. The students who were seated recognized magic would not work on the nuisances and so covered their ears with their hands or used magic on themselves to block the noise out; the balls seemed to take offense to this and reacted by circling the snakes' heads or rebounding against their hands.

The spectacle was funny if only for the balls insistence of annoying the Slytherins and the other pupils recognized this, for the noise was undeniably irritating. The display ended, however, when Dumbledore rose from his chair and directed his wand at the active table, causing all the gray poofs to stiffen and shut up before evaporating like the clouds they resembled. The Slytherins and select others looked immensely relieved while some of the other pupils groaned in disappointment the show had ended.

"An unexpected test to determine if our hearing is in tact," the headmaster announced, smiling subtlety, "I daresay, we all passed! Please—continue eating." The kids chuckled at his words and the Marauders all glanced at each other with small grins, acknowledging the resolution and covertly bringing their wands back up. When they engaged in their food again, it was only to notice the remaining sixth years and many other individuals looking at them.

"What?" chortled Sirius.

"Why do you even bother acting innocent?" Dorcas half laughed.

"You should surprise us and hit a different House. Then people may actually believe it isn't you." Frank advised, gesturing with a spoon. Peter peered at James and grinned.

"Those were clearly Dust Bunnies from Zonko's." Lily commented to Marlene.

"How do you know that Lily?," Remus pondered, having heard her, "I mean, I-I'm not saying they were!"

"Oh," The red head turned and saw them all studying her, for they had all heard; Sirius and James appeared especially interested, "Well, I've seen them before as prefect, and I _have _been in Zonko's more than once."

"Exactly. Anyone with a sense of humor has been inside the joke shop before, and it's why the Slytherins didn't know where they came from—they don't have the capacity for humor." Mary reported. Her dorm mates and the boys laughed sincerely at her statement.

When the Marauders prepared to depart the hall after dessert and return to their tower to discuss their plans for the first weekend of the new month, they were approached by their Head of House. Half of the students were already gone by then and most of the staff was.

"The headmaster would like to see you four." McGonagall told them.

"All of us?" Remus inquired, sounding as surprised as his friends' countenances looked.

"Yes Mr. Lupin."

"What for?" Peter posited a bit apprehensively.

"You will find out when you get there, Pettigrew," she informed, surveying them over her glasses.

"Is it for tea and biscuits?" Sirius quipped, smiling. McGonagall did not indicate any sign of amusement as she stared at the Black boy for a brief stint and then remarked:

"He is in his office. Do not keep him waiting very long."

"Well. I think it's best we go now." James suggested as the Animagus left the hall.

"Blimey—I haven't been there since June, when he talked to us about our 'unacceptable behavior' against Snivellus at the lake." Sirius observed.

"I haven't been there for a bad reason since third year, and I doubt he's giving us special awards for the school." Remus mentioned.

"What did we do?" Peter fretted.

"You mean _besides_ the prank half an hour ago?"

"Like McGonagall said, we'll find out." James exhaled.

The Gryffindor boys listened to the Quidditch captain and headed directly for Dumbledore's office, not being able to help feel some unease due to the ambiguity of the situation. They had also not been called together as a foursome by the professor in a significantly long time, which may or may not have been a good thing.

"Wait, she didn't give us the password!" Sirius pointed out when they were standing dumbly in front of the gargoyle, who was rooted obstinately in his spot.

"Oh well, we tried! Let's go back!" Peter deemed, moving to go back on the spiral staircase. In the next instance, however, the gargoyle jumped aside and revealed the door to the headmaster's suite, which was creaking open for them. The Marauders gazed inward as the door finished opening itself to allow them entry and they saw Dumbledore strolling towards the entrance wearing a welcoming smile.

"Ah, you're here—splendid!," he greeted in a friendly voice, "I took the liberty of letting you in myself. Please, do come in!"

They glanced swiftly at one another before stepping into the well lit, warm office. There was a fire burning in the grate and Fawkes the Phoenix was slumbering on his perch.

"Have a seat!" Dumbledore advised, returning to sit behind his desk. He used his wand to conjure up two additional chairs in front of his desk and then sat in his own; the Marauders silently did as was recommended and Sirius took the opportunity to study the picture frames for the presence of his great great grandfather: Phineas Black.

"Oh, no—Phineas is gone, I believe. He has not been in this frame since Wednesday," the headmaster informed, realizing what Sirius was doing.

"That's fine with me! Now he can't run and tell my parents that I was in the headmaster's office. It'll save me a Howler," the Black boy commented.

"A Howler for what, exactly?"

"Having the nerve to be brought to their attention and remind them of my existence." Sirius shrugged. James half smiled along with Dumbledore, who then continued to say:

"Well, how are you boys this evening?" The Gryffindors looked a bit surprised at the inquiry but before they could answer, the old wizard was speaking once more.

"Forgive me!," Dumbledore stated, shaking his head, "You are not boys, but young men! I apologize." They peered at each other again but this time it was with faint gratitude.

"We… we're fine, professor," attested James.

"Good! By the way, congratulations on Gryffindor's win today Mr. Potter! A commendable first match as captain."

"Thanks Professor!" He felt quite proud that the headmaster had mentioned his House's Quidditch victory. That was big.

"And everything else is going well for you? Classes?..." Dumbledore pondered.

"Uh, yeah!" James said.

"And you, Mr. Lupin? The same? Your prefect duties are coming along nicely?"

"Oh, yes, sir! Everything's… good." Remus notified. The headmaster nodded.

"And what about you Misters Black, Pettigrew?" he posited.

"No complaints here!" Sirius remarked, sounding amused.

"Yeah!" Peter added, pointing at Sirius.

"Wonderful, wonderful." Dumbledore smiled, studying them. The Marauders wanted to look at each other also; surely this was too good and too casual to be true. He had called them to his office to ask about their states of being?

"So, sir, you wanted to see us?," Remus tried, "Professor McGonagall said—"

"Ah yes! Why I asked you four to come here…" He reached underneath his desk and when he resurfaced he had an orange box, which he placed on the surface. They all froze when they saw what it was: an empty container for Dust Bunnies.

"It seems that Mr. Filch found five of these empty boxes in the Great Hall minutes before dinner today, and he claims that they appeared _after _he saw you two in the room. James, Sirius." Dumbledore explained, maintaining his genial tone. The best friends did their best to not look at the other and keep their eyes on the headmaster, yet they could feel the quick glances thrown at them from Remus and Peter, full of panic and accusation.

"He firmly believes you two are connected to the boxes and thereby the noisy event at dinner. He asked me to inquire."

There was silence, during which the cackling of the fire and the pounding of the rain could be heard perfectly. So, how to get out of this one?...

"Well…," James began slowly, "We _were_ in the Great Hall before dinner, Professor—Sirius and I."

"Oh?" the headmaster uttered, peering at them.

"Yeah. I lost something at lunch and we went to search for it," added Sirius.

"I see... Mr. Filch told me you had your wands out."

"We tried to summon it," the Potter boy notified quickly.

"Okay," Dumbledore nodded, "And what precisely did you lose, Mr. Black?" Sirius felt bewildered, covert looks thrown his way, but had to form a reasonable, rapid answer.

"Er, just my watch, sir," he notified, "I got bored and was playing with it at lunch."

"Did you two happen to see the boxes while you were in the hall?"

"Not at all," lied Sirius.

"And how do you suspect they appeared during that time, then? Argus specifically requested for me to ask you that," the old wizard continued, smiling at them lightly over his glasses. This time Sirius glanced at his friends with worry but James replied carefully.

"With all due respect, sir, this is a school where kids are learning and using magic—anything can happen and it usually does! Someone else could've easily had the Dust Bunnies," the captain explained.

"Someone after us." Sirius clarified.

"You are correct," Dumbledore acknowledged, inclining his head, "Needless to say, Mr. Filch insists you were responsible for the dinner disturbance based off this, but he cannot prove it with certainty. On a related manner, he also believes you were the perpetrators for the prank on the first day of term and wants punishment for that as well."

The four teenagers looked at each other openly then back at their headmaster, awaiting his next statement or judgment.

"But, without concrete evidence, I cannot condemn you and you are thus free to go! I successfully inquired about the situation," Dumbledore reported jovially, and the Marauders immediately felt relieved, "Peter, Remus—I asked you two to come in addition since Argus feels all four of you conspire together." There was guilty laughter as the Gryffindors rose after Dumbledore in order to depart the office, thankful they had been able to get away with their crime.

"I must ask, though," the headmaster began, walking around his desk to escort them to the door, "Are you four aware of how these Dust Bunnies function?"

"Well, yeah… o-of course." Remus affirmed, giving his dorm mates a look that conveyed they might as well be straightforward—there was no prudence in feigning to be _that_ naïve.

"They're at Zonko's." Peter stated.

"As I surmised." Dumbledore smiled.

"Pretty common among students." James noted.

"Yeah, and the Slytherins should have known that all you do to get them to shut up is shout right back at them. Anyone who's been exposed to them should know that." Sirius relayed.

"Indeed," the old wizard grinned knowingly, standing near the door, "Have a good evening and upcoming weekend! Until we speak again!"

The Marauders bid Dumbledore goodbye as well then stepped out of his office and onto the staircase, hearing the door shut behind them. When they were walking in the hallways once more back to Gryffindor Tower, they finally permitted themselves to speak about it.

"You let the boxes—I can't believe you left the boxes! We almost got caught!" Remus started disbelievingly.

"But we didn't!" Sirius pointed out.

"Yeah, only because it was based on a technicality!"

"Dumbledore knew we did it." Peter mentioned.

"Of course he did," James impatiently replied, "But he didn't seem very upset about it, did he?"

"Probably because it wasn't harmful." Remus remarked, sounding appreciative.

"It's because, like McGonagall, he secretly loves us! And you know he has a sense of humor," the Black boy rationalized.

"Bloody Filch…," James grumbled, shaking his head, "Sirius, _you _should just be glad he didn't get us with that."

"Why?" came the prompt from both his best friend and Peter.

"Because you said if he actually catches us for something you'll snog Mrs. Norris, and if it happens I am holding you to your word!"

* * *

A/N: You know, I had something to say at the end and I forgot. Oh! I know the prank was lame but I couldn't think of anything better at the time that I wrote this, lol.


	16. Quidditch and Potions

A/N: To _Lucky1111_: I can see your point that James is becoming a little too mild, but I will address that point in coming chapters. I do think that he had to change somewhat for Lily to develop feelings for him and not see him as a "toerag", though, but I will not let him lose all of his traits that make him James, ha ha. If it makes you feel better there _is_ a blowout between him and Snape in this chapter!

I really hope I'm not losing anyone with my whole Lily/James dynamic! I know it's slow but I promise they do end up together, and don't let their other love interests bother you too much; they are destined for each other because if not there'd be no Harry, right? I assure you, after the Whomping Willow fiasco that will come within the next ten chapters, things do take a noticeable change for them, especially Lily.

It will be worth it and I am personally excited to write about their future relationship together—it's all planned out in my head!

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 16**

The first Slug Club meeting of November was held that following Monday and while Sirius and James made their way to the Potions master's office at 8 o'clock that night, Lily chose to forgo it and hide out on the fifth floor with Dorcas and Mary, doing nothing in particular. When the Head Girl (Melody) saw Lily the next day she told her that Slughorn had pestered both her and the prefect's Housemates about her whereabouts, and was somewhat put out when he discovered they did not know. The Muggleborn sighed and notified her friend that she would surely be at the second meeting at the end of the month to make up for it.

By the middle of November things had really taken off for many of the students in the castle and their schedules had gotten more condensed, their workloads heavier, their obligations more outstanding. The second round of Quidditch games were scheduled for the start of the third week, the second Hogsmeade date was set for the last Saturday of the month, and the Marauders had the full moon to take into account, which was also in the third week; the weather was also becoming steadily harsher, which seemed to mirror the schoolwork. Dorcas was continuing her Defense tutoring sessions with Peter and they truly seemed to be helping him as proof through his work in class, in addition to the fact that he always appeared happy to go complete them with her. Remus continued to be something like Mary's partner for History of Magic as well and they typically spent one evening together completing assignments, occasionally joined by Frank, Alice or Peter. Lily was spending the same amount of time with Marcus as she had been previously but found that it was becoming a bit more personal with each time, and she rather enjoyed it, whereas James was increasing the time he spent with Michelle (despite his full plate) and discovering that he felt something each instance he was with the witch. In contrast, Sirius did not appear to be bursting at the seams about Fiona as he once had been.

"She brought it up _again_ last night." Sirius grumbled as he measured an ingredient for his potion.

"Did she?" James wondered, looking at his friend while he tipped his layered frog skin into his cauldron.

"Yes! It's the third time this week," he reported, "There we were in the Room, having a great time snogging! And then she starts on and ruins it—'Sirius, when are we going to make it official? Sirius, when are we going to go out like a real couple? Sirius, it's already like I'm your girlfriend; what's wrong?'. I mean, _Merlin_! Give me a break here!"

"I'm sorry Padfoot," the captain sympathized, giving an empathetic smile.

"She won't let it go, James—it's been like this for well over a week. I don't want to think or talk about it, you know? About titles and all that rubbish! I just want to have fun!" Sirius relayed, dumping his powder into his cauldron.

The two were in their double Potions period working on their Garotting Gas with the rest of the class, and like usual Snape was in his own world scribbling away in his textbook.

"So what are you going to do?" James asked.

"Avoid the subject for as long as possible, but she's not making it easy! This always happens at a certain point, with most girls."

"And isn't that about the time you let them go?"

"Yeah," the Black boy confirmed.

"Are you going to let Fiona go?" James inquired.

"I don't know," Sirius exhaled after a second of thinking, "I still do like her, but I'm tired of her mentioning the whole relationship thing. And it _was_ a bit more thrilling in the beginning…"

"Maybe you should give in to her—go out with her," smirked the Potter boy, stirring his concoction three times and then once the other way. Sirius gave his best friend a very intense stare as he commenced stirring his potion as well, though three times counter clockwise and then once the opposite way. The Quidditch captain laughed shortly.

"Well what about you and Michelle? You've been moving about as slow as Binns." Sirius remarked.

"Ha ha," James dryly commented, "I'm going to ask her to Hogsmeade in two weeks, for a date."

"I guess I owe it to Fiona to make this trip a date as well, then…"

"Then that means Moony and Wormy will be free for their date too. Aaw, how sweet!"

Sirius chuckled in good humor as they heard Slughorn, across the room, proclaim in an astounded voice how much progress Snape had made and that he was nearly done. Sirius made a mocking face and James rolled his eyes.

"So what d'you reckon? Take some of this as well?," Sirius questioned darkly, referring to their potions, "It could come in handy."

"Definitely," his best friend nodded, "Knocking people, or Slytherins, unconscious may be required at some point." The teenagers seemed to have developed a habit for keeping a small portion of the potions they made, and they in fact had a supply of vials stored away in Sirius' trunk.

When the class session was over Severus had been the only student to finish, but everyone else had almost completed theirs as well and would need about the first ten minutes of their next session on Monday to finish. James had scheduled practice that evening at six since Gryffindor's next match was on Tuesday (against Slytherin), and he was ready to make the team practice again on Sunday if need be; it depended on how they played and he already had the pitch booked, just in case.

"I'm not taking any chances. It's Slytherin here—they play dirty and are actually a decent team," the captain revealed during dinner to his friends, twenty minutes before he and the team would be outside.

"Dirty is all they know," Sirius concurred, "The team should start going round in groups, though it's not a problem for you or Dorcas. Now that the weekend's here and the match is closer, those _snakes_ are going to start looking for ways to disable Gryffindor."

"Don't I know it."

"Well I'm going to practice tonight, to watch for Slytherin and get away from homework for a bit." Remus said.

"Just put it off 'til Sunday like always." Sirius lazily pointed out.

"Oh, you mean back in the carefree days before sixth year?" James interjected.

"Yeah, I think we learned long ago this term that Sunday is not enough." Remus added.

"How could I forget?" the Black boy inquired bitterly. Peter, who seemed to be rather oblivious to his roommates conversation and was peering at the dining hall's entrance, then turned to the other three.

"The girls aren't here yet?" he pondered, speaking of the sixth years.

"Guess not," the Lupin boy stated, peering around briefly.

"I hope they're okay…"

"I'm sure they are. Evans and Dorcas can hurl a hex." Sirius mentioned off handedly, biting a dinner roll. Peter then looked at Alice who was with Frank, the only witch from that group present.

"Hey Alice—have you… are your dorm mates fine?" he posited.

"Hmm?" she responded, looking to him and smiling, having just laughed, "Oh, they're fine! They were in our room when I left awhile ago."

"See? Perfectly good," remarked James, throwing French fries in his mouth, "Though, Dorcas must not need or want energy before practice—she has no real time to sit down and eat anymore. You're coming Peter, aren't you?"

"Of course," the Pettigrew boy confirmed. He had been at every practice since the first match of his House.

When the Marauders prepared to leave the Great Hall a minute or two after 5:45, the girls made their way inside at the same time.

"You'd better grab something and stuff it in your mouth, Meadowes. We're going." James told her as the other five players left the table.

"I think I'm okay, thanks," she noted.

"Are you three going as well?" Mary questioned Remus, glancing at Sirius and Peter.

"Uh huh." Peter replied before the prefect.

"Oh, I'll go! I haven't been to one yet." Marlene observed.

"What about dinner?" Lily wondered.

"I'm not _that_ hungry. And there are ways to get food if I do get hungry later."

"Hey, the more the merrier," grinned Sirius.

"I'll go too, then. Why not?" Mary commented.

"Frank, Alice—are you going?" the red head inquired, turning to them.

"No. We're still eating and we wanted to, er… start on homework when we were done." Frank relayed.

"Plus, that wind outside is fierce!" his girlfriend attested. The pounding wind could indeed be heard howling outside in the dark night sky.

"Oh just come on Lily! You don't want to be the third wheel to Frank and Alice, do you?" Dorcas half smiled as everyone walked away and she brought up the rear.

"It'll be fun to watch, I promise you. Like getting a free glimpse for Tuesday!" James added, shrugging and then moving up to be with Peter and Remus. (Sirius was walking and talking with Marlene and her brother). Lily conceded after a moment of idleness and sighed insignificantly, catching up to Dorcas and smiling a tad. As the retinue left the hall it was glowered at by the Slytherin House and especially Quidditch team, and Snape could not help to notice that Lily was in its ranks, amongst the Marauders.

The lions' practice went fairly well with no visits from rival Houses and the only true nuisance was the unrelenting wind which tested their flying skills. James deemed the team would come out again on Sunday at noon for more preparation and the Beaters, notorious for complaining, did not even say a word, for they knew the intensity that came with playing Slytherin. The wind was back for the weekend practice and so was Peter, but he was the only one—Remus was in the common room completing assignments like many others and was making a disgruntled Sirius do them with him. When practice had ended, James reminded the team to stay focused since there were no more practices until the game and vigilant to protect itself against any attacks from Slytherins. The tension was practically palpable between the two Houses but had yet to boil over, though there was still time.

"Remember, pairs everywhere you go. Trios if you can help it!," the captain called as Amy and Elizabeth left the locker room babbling away, "Hey, Mitchell! Walk with Rodrigo and Kirby; don't go by yourself."

"So did you answer those questions for Charms yet?" Dorcas asked James as the three boys exited the room together.

"Pssh! No. I spent yesterday in the greenhouses watching over my stupid plant while writing the Defense essays on kappas," he declared, putting the last of his things in his locker.

"Ugh, I didn't have time for that plant! I was caught in between Defense, Charms _and_ Divination."

"It's mad maintaining a plant that requires extra, _weekend_ care." Peter remarked.

"Isn't it?! I don't even like that class," she fumed, "Maybe I'll stop by today for like… ten minutes. See if it's still alive."

"How long did Charms take you?" James asked.

"I didn't finish."

"There are only four questions!"

"They're laborious." Dorcas reported dully.

"I want my life back," the Potter boy lamented.

As they walked out of the locker room with Peter asking Dorcas if he could look her Divination notes over, James locked the door behind them and prepared to depart for the castle when a feminine voice called his name on the other side. All three looked and saw Michelle there, smiling and wearing a blue scarf protectively around her neck.

"Michelle," he grinned. There was no need to mess up his hair today for the wind had that covered.

"You three all right?" the blonde nodded, meeting them near the door.

"Just fine." Peter smiled in greeting. Dorcas studied her momentarily before giving a curt nod.

"What are you doing out here?" James wondered.

"Well, I came to see you, and if you wanted to possibly hang out right now. Inside, of course! This wind is too much." Michelle explained.

"I'd love to." This was said with a half shrug and charming smile.

"Uh, does homework ring a bell?" Dorcas commented, looking at her captain and raising a hand.

"Oh yes, because you know how _excited_ I am to get to it!," James noted, grinning and backing away with the Ravenclaw (who was giggling slightly), "Later then!"

"See you, Prongs!" Peter bid shaking his head, entertained. He and Dorcas watched their friend stroll off in the direction of the field with Michelle speaking happily to her companion and reaching up to fondly adjust his glasses at one point.

"Oh yeah, that looks like the direction of the castle to me!" the Meadowes girl scoffed, a hand on her hip.

"Let's, let's go back ourselves! You don't want to freeze out here, do you?" Peter remarked, chuckling somewhat and peering at her hopefully.

"Of course not," she grumbled after a long sigh, leading the way forward.

By Monday the tension of Quidditch finally boiled over for the Slytherins and Gryffindors while the other two Houses that were actually playing that day were merely antsy. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw match was after the second class of the day and a few of the lions had clear allegiances to uphold: James and Sirius vowed their female companions they would root for the ravens and Lily promised Marcus she would cheer for the badgers. The weather continued to be awfully wind driven with large, dark clouds and as James sat in the stands with his friends and teammates, he wondered if they would be playing in the same conditions the next day. (Even if the best fliers were out in the sky, wind was a factor that most everyone hoped to avoid). The game lasted an hour much to the chagrin of the wind swept spectators but it was well worth it for the Ravenclaws and their supporters, who ended up winning, and when it was over the young wizards had to prepare for their third classes of the day.

The sixth years in Potions were completing their Garotting Gases for that Monday's class session and Slughorn encouraged them to hurry so they could commence their next lesson and preparation on the Sleeping Draught, which was going to take about a week to brew.

"All right, time is up! Please bottle and leave on my desk, where you will find parchment with instructions for your next essay—the controversy over Garotting Gas. It is due Friday." Slughorn announced.

"Uh oh…" Sirius began as he searched through his bag and the pupils started to move around and follow instructions.

"What?" James prompted looking at him, with his cauldron sitting right in front of him.

"I can't find the flasks. I think I left them in the room, in my trunk."

"You think?"

"Okay—I forgot to pack them since they are not in my bag." Sirius stated.

"I reminded you last night." James pointed out.

"Well apparently not well enough."

The captain gave his best friend a dry, warning look and Sirius relented, chortling a bit before saying:

"I'll go get used ones from the storage closet."

"I really should stop leaving you responsibility." James remarked as Sirius got up and went to his task.

"James? Take yours up?" Frank offered as he stopped by the desk, holding out his and Alice's bottles.

"Oh, no; it's not ready. Thanks anyway mate." The Longbottom boy nodded and continued on his way to the desk.

Across the room, Avery and Rosier were also headed to the professor's desk with their vials in hand and wearing insipid smirks as Snape left his seat with his wand and moved determinedly in the other direction, to where the Gryffindors were clustered. He saw Lily speaking with Alice, both of whom partners were gone, and his eyes sought out James: Potter was alone with the cauldrons and Black was back at the supplies. Perfect. Severus hastened his walk a tad and made a beeline for where the Potter boy sat; when he walked in front of the desk he threw James a sneer, and the Gryffindor replied with a vicious glare, offended that he was in his vicinity. In a very rapid moment after the sneer, Snape lifted his wand and waved it at the two cauldrons, causing the contents the two Marauders had made to disappear. James' eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as Snape continued walking (now to Slughorn's desk), and Sirius had frozen with suspicion from returning from the back, having seen the Slytherin near his desk.

"You slimy tosser!" James shouted angrily, jumping up, outraged. Snape ceased moving and turned to look back at his foe while Alice and Lily hushed instantly and stared at the two, shocked.

"Excuse me?" the Slytherin responded icily.

"You made our potions disappear!"

"What?"

"You heard me! When you walked by, just now!" James asserted, pointing at the now empty cauldrons and fuming. By now Sirius had hurried back to his table and best friend while Frank and Marlene also stood frozen at a nearby distance, having come from the professor's desk.

"I don't know what you're talking about Potter." Snape told him disdainfully.

"The hell you don't!"

"They _are _gone!" the Black boy proclaimed suddenly, peering into the cauldrons.

"Yeah, thanks to Snivelly here!" the captain gruffly commented. Sirius gazed up at Severus with an expression full of deep contempt and indignation.

"You destroyed our work," he steely noted.

"Or so you say," Snape smirked tauntingly, "But you two think you are _so_ brilliant—just make more in the next three minutes. It should be an easy feat for minds like yours!"

The Slytherin then turned back around to walk away and James snatched up his wand, displaying an ugly snarl and quickly moving towards him as Sirius looked ready to do the same. A fight was prevented from initiating because Frank, at that moment, shot back over to his Housemates surprisingly fast and planted himself in James' way, holding his left arm with Marlene on his heels.

"Whoa, James—calm down!" Frank advised, studying a very vehement James and not intending to budge.

"Oh, you want to come after me then?! Go on! I dare you!" Snape relayed heatedly, facing them once more and now visibly angry himself.

"_No_! Sirius, leave it!" Marlene exclaimed, who was by his side and witnessed him accept the challenge by moving somewhat.

"Listen to the dolts in your House!" the Slytherin leered. This insult caused James to attempt to get past his roommate again but Frank successfully stopped him.

"He's not worth it—you know that!" The Longbottom boy huffed.

"He just wants to get you in trouble!" Alice observed, who had risen during the scuffle.

"_What_ is going on here?!" a voice demanded, breaking through the tension and capturing their attention. It was Slughorn, who had broken free of the other students; he had heard the sound of scrapping chairs and significantly elevated voices, alerting him.

He took in the standing Gryffindors, two of whom appeared particularly riled up, and Snape, who now seemed smugly pleased and sported an irritating smirk that he was passing as a smile. The rest of the class was not watching the exchange as well.

"Well sir, all I was doing was going to your desk to get the essay instructions. Maybe Black or Potter can explain a bit more, or what _they_ were doing." Severus reported, looking at them pompously. James felt like blasting the stupid expression off his face.

"Well?" Slughorn prompted, gazing at the lions.

"Uh…," Frank started unsurely, "It, it…"

"It was a misunderstanding!," Marlene interjected, glancing at the Marauders, "Just a misunderstanding. But it's resolved, professor…"

"Is that the case boys? Mister Potter? Black?" the Potions master wondered shrewdly, peering from one to the other. It took a moment before a response came, but Sirius eventually nodded and James muttered "yes".

"Okay…. Well, everyone back to what you were doing. Prepare for the next lesson." Slughorn commanded. Everyone resumed their previous tasks and began muttering to themselves; Snape threw them a triumphant smirk before rejoining his Housemates, all of whom were looking at the Gryffindors with glee.

"This is bullocks." James growled immediately.

"We know, James," consoled Alice.

"We really didn't want you to do anything rash that would've landed you in definite trouble." Frank added.

"Exactly. Snape wanted you to react so you'd get detention, in the least." Marlene said, looking at both of them.

"Would've been my first—no big deal." James shortly replied. Lily felt her eyebrows rise in surprise. Potter had yet to receive a detention this term? Wow!...

"But you also might've been taken out of the match, which is what Slytherin would love." At this declaration, the captain seemed to deflate with realization.

"You're right…," he mentioned somberly, "I have to think about Gryffindor's team, and I usually do. I'm captain." Lily looked at Marlene then to James.

"It doesn't erase the fact that he vanished our Gases! What are we supposed to do?" Sirius pondered, very irritated.

"We have nothing to turn in now." James remarked, shaking his head.

"And believe it or not, we actually care about our marks."

"Well, oh!," Alice commenced, gazing into her cauldron, "I'd offer you some of mine, but, I already got rid of it!"

"Me too, mates! Sorry." Frank apologized, sounding regretful.

"Um!," Marlene uttered, hurrying over to her desk where Lily sat to investigate, "I spilled a lot of mine earlier, but it looks like there's enough for one more flask."

"Er, w-well I've got enough left, if—since—you need it. One or both of you can have some of mine." Lily offered. The two purebloods looked at her.

"Really?" inquired James.

"Well, yeah. It was low of Snape to do that and I have extra, so it's no problem."

"Thanks, Evans!.... That's generous of you."

"Please," she stated, waving it off. Consequently, it was undeniable that Lily, Sirius and James were all aware of the clear indications of her offer; she would have never even considered doing that not too long ago.

"You lot are wicked." Sirius noted as he and Marlene worked to pour the rest of her concoction in his flask.

"We have to look out for our Housemates!" Alice observed.

"Here." Lily murmured, holding her cauldron so James could get some of the Gas without struggling as much.

"Cheers," the Potter boy half smiled.

"I can't believe he actually did that." The red head sent a short, disapproving glare in the Slytherins' general direction.

"You can't?" came the unsure challenge. She looked at him briefly before pulling the cauldron back; his tube was full and she did not respond as he put the top on. Of course she could….

On the Slytherins' side of the room, Snape had taken his seat again and covertly watched his rivals after the deed, originally still pleased with what he had done. However, when he witnessed Potter saying something to Lily and then _accepting_ a bit of her Gas, the pleasure disappeared quickly. Had she willingly given him some?! This was James Potter here—what was going on?! Snape had no idea but he knew it left him with a scary confusion.

The second conflict of the day happened right as lunch was ending and involved a group of eight lion and snake fourth years. A battle of sorts had basically occurred a little past the entrance to the Great Hall and McGonagall, Filch and Hagrid had to sort it out, sending most all of the eight to the Hospital Wing with the promise of week long detentions. In a similar event, Flitwick's Charms class of seventh years broke into hostile chaos when a Gryffindor "accidentally" hexed a Slytherin. Twice. The fourth incident of the day happened in the evening and involved an attempt to hurt Mitchell by two fifth year Slytherins. He had been rushing to get to dinner since he was 40 minutes late, having been in the library when he met the pair on the second floor and they would not let him go. It had been thanks to the Head Boy and another Ravenclaw prefect on their own way to eat that the three had been found before noteworthy damage had been cast on the Seeker. The Slytherins were taken to Slughorn at once, who had to listen to a livid Minerva McGonagall tell him to "not go easy" on his students and give them "the sufficient punishment they deserved". The attempted attack on Mitchell greatly upset most of his House but especially his team and sister, and many heatedly pointed to deliberately putting Regulus out of commission as payback. However, right before dinner concluded that night, McGonagall angrily announced that if one more incident occurred between the two Houses playing the following day at any point, there would _be_ no match. The threat was real enough to cease any impending confrontations for both the snakes and lions but it left all the more tension to be settled on the pitch the succeeding day.

James forced his teammates to go everywhere with at least three other people when Tuesday came, and he appeared to be determined yet edgy in classes. The game was set for one o'clock and the weather was completely free of wind, but had been replaced with dark, gray skies and a chilling cold. At lunch the Gryffindor team sat as a unit as was customary and glowered over at the Slytherins who were making a lot of noise and apparently imitating how their rivals were going to lose, and how Mitchell was going to be left gagging on Regulus' dust. The lions got up first to leave and were met with proud yells and cheers from their own House and boos and hisses from Slytherin.

"We'll see if they're still that smug in the air." Dorcas grumbled as they stalked out.

The speech of the Gryffindor captain delivered before the start of the game was significantly more passionate than the first had been, and he relayed that it was going to be a brutal one in which they would most likely get hurt but they had to be unwavering in order to beat Slytherin. The other six players seemed quite up for the challenge and even Mitchell appeared to have found the characteristic courage of his House.

"And Mitch, they're gonna come after you—you have to know this," James began, "Regulus may try to pull something really foul, but don't—"

"I'm not scared James. I'll be able to handle it!" the Seeker responded swiftly, clutching his broomstick. The Beaters looked at each other and grinned as Elizabeth smiled fondly at the youngest player there.

"Well… brilliant! Glad to hear it," the captain noted, smiling proudly, "So let's get to it, then!"

"To crushing Slytherin!" Amy proposed as they all stood and made for the door, shouting with agreement.

Out on the field, the Gryffindor team was obligated to stand in the biting cold and wait for the Slytherins to meet them near Crimps. They were moving at a leisurely pace and in no evident state to want to quicken their steps, which vexed not only the lions but the Quidditch teacher as well.

"Let's go Slytherin!" Crimps ordered, waving them over.

"Prats." Mary muttered in the stands, where the observers also noticed that the snakes were taking their time.

"Okay!," Crimps commenced when they had finally arrived, "Captains, shake hands."

James gritted his teeth as he stared at the other teams' seventh year captain, Douglas Hollenbeck, and threw out his hand with dread. Hollenbeck barely made contact with James' hand before the Potter boy rapidly took it back, but the Slytherin had wanted to at least twist it painfully.

"Mount your brooms and on my whistle," the next statement came. Regulus studied Mitchell and shook his head, wearing a smirk as he got on his broom and the third year frowned angrily as a reply. At the sound of the whistle, yells from the stands erupted and the fourteen contenders raced upward to start the game.

A few minutes into the game (which was already totally captivating and intense to watch with Coombs bellowing his heart out), two witches were actively making their way through the engrossed Gryffindor students to where the Marauders were located. When they reached them, Sirius was standing up and shouting something obscene at one of the Slytherin Beaters for an obvious foul on Kirby; when he felt his elbow being touched, he peered down and saw Fiona smiling.

"F-Fiona! And Michelle!," he remarked, turning to them with shock, "What are you two doing here?" Remus and Peter looked at the girls as did Frank, who had his arms on Alice's shoulders who sat with her roommates on the bench below.

"We came to support you of course! Gryffindor is playing!" Fiona reported. Marlene was seated in between Mary and Lily and froze at the sound of the Ravenclaw's voice; when she craned her head to look up and saw the Etherton girl, her face fell.

"Oh. Well, thanks, loves!..." Sirius said, still taken aback by their presence.

"Er, do you want to sit?" Remus pondered, standing up and preparing to move to the right so they could be near Sirius. Peter did the same.

"Thank you!" Michelle remarked as the two moved. A beseeching Marlene with a worried expression looked at her friends who were watching the Ravenclaws above them. The gaze was lucidly begging for their prompt relocation. Lily nodded right away and Mary pointed to an empty gap two benches down, and Marlene quickly got up to occupy their new spot with the Muggleborns.

"Uh, change of plans Frank," Alice mumbled to her boyfriend, glancing once at the new company for emphasis, "I won't be far." She then kissed him on the cheek before joining her dorm mates while Fiona settled in next to her love interest. As she happily pecked Sirius on the lips, he could not help but notice with a slightly drawn brow that the sixth year girls had moved somewhere.

The match only lasted half an hour but it had indeed been remarkably brutal like James' prediction. There had been a total of six fouls that Crimps caught and five that went undetected, and out of the 14 athletes there were seven of them that had some type of conspicuous injury. The score had been 20 to 20 before the Snitch manifested, and those four goals had been extremely arduous to obtain for both teams; the Chasers flew well on either side but had to contend with the vigorous Beaters and other Chasers. The Slytherin Beaters ignored hitting the Bludgers in acceptable directions of the Gryffindor players and instead opted for anatomically sensitive areas such as the head, neck and chest, which left the lions the tasks of playing their positions, maintaining their safety _and_ getting the snakes back. Amy received a blow to the back with a hidden wand from the only female Slytherin on the team (a Chaser) and instructed Rodrigo to hit her broom's end with a Bludger. Dorcas kicked a Slytherin Beater bluntly in the leg for yanking her hair and crushing Kirby's hand, and James, sporting a black eye and broken glasses from a Bludger, borrowed a bat to scare off all three Slytherin Chasers who bombarded Elizabeth even though they had no Quaffles.

Needless to say, the match was chaotic for Crimps to referee and anxiety provoking for the pupils to watch, though exhilarating. When the Snitch did appear the Seekers, who had chiefly managed to stay out of the violent heyday of the game (though there had been tries on their safety), shot after it following tense gazes at one another. The crowd instantly ceased screaming to watch the showdown as Coombs described the event unfolding before their eyes and the remaining 12 athletes continued to battle it out in the sky, since they could not drop their vigilance. The chase of the Snitch was terribly suspenseful and the two Seekers sought it in desperation and to break the tie, thereby brining his House glory. When Mitchell pulled ahead by a foot or two as they flew very near the ground and close by the Hufflepuff goals, Regulus growled in his throat and removed his wand from the inside of his green robes.

"No you don't McKinnon!" he yelled to him.

Mitchell glanced back and saw the aimed wand at him, which caused his eyes to widen in surprise; when he refocused on the Snitch he saw it suddenly shot upward from its straight trajectory and gave a brief start, jerking his broom in the same direction. Regulus' spell missed the third year right as he flew up and the Slytherin was late in noticing the ball had changed its course—when he forced his broomstick up seconds after the Gryffindor had it was too late: Mitchell had accelerated and caught up to the Snitch, grabbing it in his right hand. Gryffindor went wild as Coombs yelled that their House had won, and Crimps flew to where the players were to prevent any backlash from the stunned snakes as the lions joyously celebrated their victory and assailed Mitchell. In the stands, the sixth year witches laughed happily and stood like everyone else, hugging Marlene, as Sirius' excitement caused him to wear a large grin and scoop a smiling Fiona up in his arms while the Marauders and Michelle clapped vivaciously. Slytherin was initially silent upon their loss but resorted to angry booing before they started to leave the stands, the first House to do so.

"Come on—let's get to the pitch!" Sirius directed as the students slowly began to move. Remus led the way and the Ravenclaws and Frank followed, the Longbottom boy throwing his girlfriend a jubilant smile. The girls saw them departing and Marlene's joyous countenance faltered somewhat.

"Let's go down! You can't let her stop you from congratulating your brother and the team." Lily commented as Mary studied her.

"I know," Marlene exhaled after a moment, turning to face them. Her expression then brightened back to its original state, "Let's go!"

"Too right Marlene!" Alice beamed.

* * *

The full moon was on Thursday night and Remus was showing signs of his illness by Tuesday night after his House had won its second Quidditch game. The cold weather also seemed to bring out his physical symptoms even more so that he looked paler than usual and had darker eyes than he would during any other season. It was announced that he was going to visit his mother again on Thursday and he received the typical sympathy from his friends and contempt from Snape. He had a History of Magic essay due on Thursday as well and Mary offered to turn it in for him which he accepted, and so on Wednesday evening he handed it to her slightly shaking and quite disheveled before he left the tower for the infirmary.

"Why didn't he give it to me?" Peter pondered as the Marauders watched the exchange.

"Because he actually wanted it turned in and not forgotten or accidentally burned." Sirius notified, touching his nose with his quill's feather. James snorted as he finished writing a sentence on his required five feet Potions essay.

Mary uttered something consoling to Remus and he nodded, then put up a hand in farewell to his roommates and went to the portrait hole. They returned the gesture and knew they would see him in secret tomorrow before their nightly adventure as animals.

"His mum's health is very hard on him, it must be," Mary voiced as she strolled over to the three of them, "He never looks good when he visits her."

"Yeah… it's tough." Sirius agreed.

"Why don't you lot ever go with him? I'm sure he could use the support."

"He, er, prefers to go alone." Peter answered.

"And I don't think Dumbledore or McGonagall would allow us to miss our classes every month." James evenly explained, looking at the Muggleborn. She frowned a bit and shrugged, peering at Remus' neatly written assignment.

"I suppose. It's just hard to watch him." Mary remarked.

"Yeah—we know." Sirius concurred with folded arms. There was silence as she remained standing, absent mindedly studying his essay. When Peter glanced at her questioningly and gave James an odd look she spoke again.

"So, are you going out with Etherton, Black?"

"_What_?," Sirius answered rapidly, sucking in breath, "No! Who told you that?!"

"No one—everyone just thinks so. You're with her all the time." Mary informed, shrugging indifferently. James appeared amused.

"Well, I'm not, so 'everyone' needs to get it right. It we were actually together, it would be known."

"Okay, just wondering. Well, I'll see you later, then." The Macdonald girl turned to leave their table but before she departed she vocalized an afterthought for Sirius' benefit.

"Oh, and Black? Word to the wise: it's probably not a good thing to sound _offended_ when someone asks you if you're dating the girl you allegedly fancy." Sirius looked blindsided as Mary left and Peter looked at him suggestively, surprised as well.

Heavy rain made itself known once more on Thursday and the Marauders worried if it would continue into the dark, early morning hours of Friday, because that would mean significantly slippery grounds and the possibility of being confined to the Shrieking Shack if it was too heavy, which the werewolf would resent immensely. The Care of Magical Creatures were miserable that day and cursed "that mental old dodger" Kettleburn for not caring about the physical health of his students, and when the sixth years' session was halfway through Sirius, James and Dorcas stole away to find warmth in the safety of Hagrid's hut (with the captain bringing Michelle as well).

"I feel a bit guilty—we haven't seen Moony all day." Peter notified that night as the boys were camped around a library table, doing homework yet again.

"Don't. We'll see him soon enough and we've been drowning in work like usual. He of all people would understand." James responded, eyes glued to his Transfiguration assignment.

"Ugh! This stupid Potions essay! I still have half a foot to write and I'm completely out of shite to say!," Sirius interjected, frustrated, "It's due tomorrow and I'm stuck."

"No worries, Padfoot. I didn't finish either. We'll find time tough; work on something else and I'm sure the rest of it will come to you."

"When will you find time to finish it? We'll be out all night!" Peter stated.

"Do not doubt us Wormy. We are Marauders, for one, and we have two other classes before Potions tomorrow in which we can finish the essay. Right now, we have other ludicrous amounts of homework to start." James explained, underlining something.

"I'll start Thorne's rubbish," Sirius said, getting a fresh piece of parchment, "Then we can trade off Jamesy." Thirty minutes later Madam Pince essentially appeared out of thin air and confronted the three teenagers.

"The library is closed!" she commented harshly, squinting at them.

"What?" James inquired, looking at her as he drew his head back some.

"It is ten o'clock—time to leave!"

"She's right, mate…" Sirius mumbled, putting his quill down and checking his watch as Peter peered around the deserted library. There were only about three other students present and they were all standing, preparing to leave.

"I didn't even notice it was time already." Peter mentioned.

"Well it is! So out with you three—_out_!" Pince sharply remarked as she began to snatch up their books.

"Oy, that one's mine!" Sirius announced, grabbing his Transfiguration tome from her claw like hands.

"_This_ one isn't!" she retorted, waving a book about the history of potions in front of them.

"We didn't say it was!" James defended, pulling his own books towards him in case she set her eyes on them next.

"Just hurry up and gather your things so you can leave!" Pince snapped.

"All right—we are!" Peter answered. Three minutes later they were outside and grumbling about the librarian as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I think she needs a really good snog! It'd calm her batty arse down." Sirius told them.

"Who would kiss _that_?" James shuddered.

"Good point…"

"Filch, maybe," the Pettigrew boy offered. The other two boys laughed.

"You should be a matchmaker, Pete! What a lovely couple they would make." Sirius noted as they approached the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she wondered. James uttered it and she swung open to allow them entry, but they had not gotten very far inside before they were sought out.

"Okay, it's time to go meet Remus," the captain relayed as they walked towards the boys' staircase.

"At least it's not raining as much," Sirius observed, "But maybe we should stick to Hogsmeade where there are roads. The Forest's grounds are going to be really muddy."

"Peter! There you are!" a witch called out as they passed the fireplace. They turned and saw Dorcas get up from a chair, who was near Marlene and Mary.

"Oh, Dorcas!" he replied.

"Where've you been? You're really late!" she remarked.

"L-Late? For what?"

"Our Defense session! I said we were meeting tonight at nine, remember? It's ten past ten."

"Oh, Merlin…," Peter commenced, his face dawning with comprehension, "You're right! I'm so sorry Dorcas—I completely forgot!"

"Where've you been?" Dorcas repeated.

"The l-library."

"We were doing homework." James added. She sighed audibly and then pointed out:

"Well I guess we can do it now. Are you ready?"

"Er, what?" Peter hurriedly questioned, slight panic starting to consume him. Sirius glanced rapidly at his best friend.

"We can do it now. I did some of my work at nine when you didn't show." Dorcas said.

"Uh! I… er, well… I-I—" he stuttered.

"He can't!" Sirius declared.

"Why not?" the witch asked, raising her eyebrows.

"We have something to do."

"Yeah!" Peter uttered, nodding urgently.

"It's _very_ important." James informed.

"So is Peter's mark." Marlene prompted, speaking up. (She and Mary had been watching the entire exchange).

"I-I know!" the Pettigrew boy admitted.

"We're not denying that, but this thing is an obligation," the Black boy rationalized. He then smiled at Marlene, "And it's so kind of you to worry about Wormtail that way, McKinnon."

"I'm trying to help you here, Peter." Dorcas said with a rather tough tone, a hand now on her hip.

"I know! Dorcas, I know!," Peter started, appearing a bit horrified at her reaction, "And I really, truly appreciate it, I do! But—"

"But we _have_ to do this," James finished, looking at his teammate, "Come on Dorcas, understand. It's just this once."

"And you won't say what it is if I ask, I know you won't," she mumbled. She then exhaled and waved them off, "Fine. Goodbye you three!" They all smiled at the girls and strode quickly to the staircase as the Meadowes girl sat back down.

"They are _always_ doing something secretive!" Marlene noted with some humor in her voice, her face partially obscured by a Muggle Studies book.

"That's because they're always up to something." Dorcas amended, fighting back a smile behind her hand.

"That they are… I wonder if Frank even knows all of what they do." Mary pondered, gazing at the steps they were ascending.

"I highly doubt it. Especially since he and Alice are Siamese twins now." The three witches giggled a tad in good humor.

Minutes later the boys were back in the common room and hidden under the Invisibility Cloak with notably difficulty, progressing through the room carefully so they would not bump into anyone and be discovered. They had to wait by the portrait hole for five minutes until it was opened from the outside by fifth year boys coming back because of curfew and one of them included Rodrigo.

"Yeah, I'm thinking of asking Elizabeth to Hogsmeade." Christopher Spooner revealed as the fifteen year olds piled inside.

"Really?" smiled Rodrigo.

"Put in a good word for him, Rigo," the third, Spencer Toft, commented.

"May not do much good; you know she's completely taken with Black—all the fifth year girls actually!"

Spencer and Rodrigo laughed while Christopher clicked his tongue as they walked further into the room and left the entrance open.

"Wow Padfoot!" Peter snickered as they exited, glancing at him.

"_My_ teammate? Lizzie?," James began in shock, "How did I never notice?!"

"Don't be too surprised Prongs! I've been told I'm quite charming." Sirius half grinned, half smirked.

"You're not allowed at any more practices."

"What?!" (Peter sniggered violently at this).

"I don't want you distracting her attention away from Keeping." James notified.

"I can't help if I'm a bloke worth fancying! You might as well revoke my Gryffindor Tower rights as well if you find my endearing qualities 'distracting'." Sirius explained.

"Or entry into Hogwarts period!," Peter smiled, "Girls love you, Sirius. Both of you, really…"

"It's a tough life, Peter my man!"

They lowered their voices the further away from their tower they got and on the floor below they saw a surprise from underneath the safety of their sheath: Lily patrolling with Samuel Hatfield, the seventh year Gryffindor male prefect. (He had taken Remus' spot for that night and would be doing rounds twice since he had to do them again at eleven with Amy). As the Marauders passed they heard Edmund Priatt's name float between the two prefects but they continued walking, and on the ground floor they received yet another surprise loitering around the connecting area of the dungeons and first floor: Snape.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" Sirius hissed in their ears. The Slytherin appeared to be lurking and his gaze was alternating between the grand staircase and double doors of the castle.

"What is he _doing_ is the better question." James responded quietly yet angrily.

"He's not afraid of getting caught? By Filch or anyone?" Peter inquired.

They tread cautiously on the last step and then ceased talking so they would not risk being heard by him as their feet hit the stone floor. The three purebloods proceeded to the entrance carefully as Snape continued his purposeful watching with alert eyes. When they reached the doors they halted and realized they had a problem to contend with—how were they going to get outside without their enemy noticing? The doors were closed and he would definitely see one open. After about a minute or two of silent, rapid brainstorming and nonverbal communication powered by fear, Sirius extracted his wand and waved it as erratically as he could in the limited space; a moment later a loud boom echoed from somewhere on the floor and Severus' head immediately snapped up. He glanced around swiftly before turning back and heading for the depths of the dungeons, not wanting to be caught out past curfew for something he did not do, and the Marauders took the opportunity to get outside undetected. (That noise would attract attention very soon and they wanted to be out of its way, invisible or not).

"It was obvious he was waiting for someone to appear and I don't think he wanted to be seen if he could've helped it." Sirius relayed as they stood outside in the rain under the light of the full moon.

"How much gold do you want to bet that he was waiting for us to show up?" James said in a very aggravated tone.

"He's following us?" Peter dully wondered.

"How dumb does he think we are?," Sirius questioned with outrage, "Yeah, like we'd really go waltzing out of the castle visible to everyone past curfew! He's pitiful!" James sighed as he shook his head, thinking Snape was treading in very dangerous waters.

"Let's go, not keep Moony waiting any longer," he muttered.

* * *

A/N: So going off the first author's note, I am incorporating the Whomping Willow incident in my story although JKR indicated it happened in their fifth year because, 1) I think it's better in their sixth year, 2) I think it will help to develop James and Lily's relationship and, 3) I've always wanted to write it. Lol. That's the only thing in my story noticeably in contrast to Ms. Rowling's plot.

By the way, is anyone starting to notice the love triangles/squares/hexagons? Ha ha ha. If not, they definitely become much more apparent in the next chapter. I just can't wait until I'm done with summer classes in 4 weeks so I have the rest of the season to work on this fic!


	17. Keeping Up

A/N: So I apologize that this chapter is a week late! Really, I do. Like I said, summer classes are nearly done for me and then I'll be able to devout much of my free time to this fic. To _Flyingflower: _I'm very glad you like my story :) I'm aware that James is a Seeker in the movie, but in the actual HP series he's a Chaser; JKR confirmed it and everything. I know-- when I first found out I was surprised too. To _theorderofpants: _I know about the whole Lily/James thing. It's coming a bit slow, but I promise you, it will start to pick up in a handful of chapters! Please bear with me! I don't want to lose a reader, ha ha.

**Chapter 17**

The Marauders encountered Snape again the following day in an atmosphere other than classes or meals that made him appear undeniably mistrustful and sneaky. He had seemingly rushed to the Hospital Wing right after being dismissed from his last lesson before lunch and basically stalked the unit out, waiting for the nurse to leave for a short period or go into her office and remain there so he could hurry in and find Lupin for himself. The Slytherin had to wait a solid 15 minutes with no Pomfrey showing intentions of leaving her three patients (two were there because of awful colds due to the weather), and he mentally questioned if the blasted woman never left the room for more than 30 seconds. When she finally did disappear into her office and close the door most of the way, Snape seized the chance and hurried into the infirmary to set about his mission. All three occupied beds had drawn sheets and he went to the first one closest and pushed the covers back a bit to see who it was: a sleeping second year, not the werewolf. Snape then moved to the second bed and did the same, but it was not Lupin once again and this time the student was awake.

"Hey! What are you doing!" she coughed, offended by his presence.

"Er! Um, sorry—wrong bed! I'm looking for… my friend," he awkwardly replied, surprised.

"Well it's not me! You shouldn't just invade people's privacy like that!"

"I said I was sorry! Keep it down, will you?" Snape spat. He threw her sheet back then moved to the last bed, but as he reached out to touch it he heard determined human movement and a voice call out:

"Madam Pomfrey? I have a patient for you and met three visitors along the way. This poor boy had an accident in Professor Sprout's class!"

The voice belonged to Melody Britches and Snape froze in place when she instantly appeared in the room, initially oblivious to him, with a third year badger and the Marauders at her side. He was discovered seconds later, however, and the boys instantly bristled up with rage as the Head Girl exclaimed:

"Snape?! Are you supposed to be here?" Pomfrey then came hustling quickly out of her office to see the new arrivals and speaking swiftly.

"Miss Britches, can you keep your voice down please?! But you've brought someone, eh? What happened to him? And who are the vi—" The nurse abruptly ceased talking when she saw the Slytherin posed by the bed that held Remus and his friends looked ready to jump Snape, but she went back into authoritative mode not seconds later, truly upset by his near disturbance of a pupil she cared a great deal about.

"Mr. _Snape_! What are you doing here?!"

"I… I…" he unsurely commenced.

"Shouldn't you be at lunch right now?"

"Shouldn't they?" Severus replied, pointing at the Gryffindors and glaring. They became even more hostile and opened their mouths to respond.

"Don't turn this on us, slimeball!" Sirius yelled.

"How _dare_ you try to deflect my question!," the nurse lashed out, screeching somewhat, "You have no business being in here! There is no one for _you_ to see here, trust me! You are merely sneaking around and disturbing my patients! GO! Go now, Mr. Snape!"

It took Severus a moment to move and truly process what was being said to him, but when Pomfrey started shouting at him again and waking up Remus and the other kid in the process, the Slytherin made a point to depart the Hospital Wing in a hurry without saying anything more to his foes.

"OUT! Get out! And if I _ever_ catch you in here again unless you are ill or injured, you will _sorely_ regret it Mr. Snape, I promise you! I do not want to see your face anytime soon!"

"He's definitely following us. Again." James muttered lowly as Pomfrey ranted and turned to the third year.

"He'll regret it." Sirius advised, throwing the door a very filthy look.

"We have to let Moony know." Peter said, gazing at his bed.

The event in the infirmary thoroughly embarrassed Snape but it did not last past the day because he was certain Lupin had been there and it was what had caused them to react so emotionally, and upon the werewolf's "return" at dinner (during which the Marauders glowered at him from their table) he was even more satisfied with his snooping. The four boys went to sleep that Friday night at their usual weekend time but the Animagi slept in until the early afternoon on Saturday to make up for the hours they lost the previous day. When the new week of the month rolled around it brought with it the final Slug Club meeting for November and Hogsmeade anticipation, for the visit was that Saturday; the students were discussing things to do, items to buy and people to go with once more.

"So Spooner came up to me after lunch today." Sirius reported from the post of his four poster on which he sat. It was about a quarter to eight on Tuesday night and he and James were waiting to go to the Slug Club meeting in 15 minutes.

"Chris?" Frank prompted from the one desk in the room. (He was writing to his mother).

"Yeah, after he saw Mariann Keys approach me before we left the Great Hall."

"What'd she want anyway? You never told us." James inquired, polishing his broom. The Quidditch team had had an hour practice earlier that evening at six o'clock and its next game was against Ravenclaw in about another week.

"She asked if I had a date to Hogsmeade. She seemed pretty nervous so I felt badly when I told her I couldn't go with her." Sirius told them.

"Sirius, you should just wear a sign that says 'taken' when Hogsmeade comes around to let the female population know when you are. It'd save a lot of broken hearts!" Remus quipped, shaking his head. The Black boy and James grinned widely.

"So it's you and Fiona then?" Frank asked.

"Yeah… I asked her this morning after Transfiguration. She was really excited we are going 'as a proper couple'. I didn't say much and just let her babble on." This admission came out in a rather flat tone.

"Well what did Spooner want?" Peter wondered.

"He asked me if I was thinking of taking any fifth year Gryffindor girls, namely Elizabeth, to the village. He said I shouldn't if I'm not serious about any of them and there are wizards who actually have much interest in them, so it wouldn't be fair!," chuckled Sirius, "I assured him he had _nothing_ to worry about and that I've been seeing Fiona. He seemed to relax after that."

"He doesn't want you zoning in on Green and stealing her. You're a threat, Padfoot," smiled Peter.

"I'm not that bad! Why does everyone think I just jump from witch to witch?"

"It's jealousy, mate." Frank joked.

"Exactly!"

James grinned to himself, thinking of when Michelle had told him that one of her friends thought Sirius was a womanizer, and glanced absent mindedly at his watch. It was 7:50.

"Oy, we should leave Padfoot. Ten minutes 'til," he commented, putting his broom on his bed and standing up.

"Right," Sirius agreed, hopping onto the ground, "Later, then!"

"See you." Remus bid as the two waked out of the room.

"Oh, I've got to meet Dorcas at eight too!" they heard Peter cheerfully state.

James and Sirius left the tower and traveled down in the castle to get to Slughorn's office while talking merrily as was characteristic, and they so happened to meet the other two Gryffindor members of the club on the second floor.

"All right Evans, Langston?" Sirius hailed when they caught up to the girls.

"Hello!" Jessica replied, smiling and feeling a bit young with the appearance of two more sixth years. Lily nodded at the two genially and gave a small smile.

"Decided to show your face at this meeting, huh Evans?"

"Yes… I don't really want him harassing me for, heaven forbid, missing _two_ meetings," she said, cutting her eyes. The boys laughed lightly, "But I think I've decided on only attending one a month from now on."

"Well I'll be at every one. Passing up any chance at free food and mocking Snape is a crime!" Sirius stated. The fourth year snickered and the red head frowned slightly but there was humor in her eyes.

"So why didn't you two mention going to the meeting with us? Are you going back to snubbing, Evans?" James pondered.

"_What_? N-No!," Lily commenced, furrowing her brow in an annoyed fashion. Was he going back to that?!, "I just didn't think it—"

"Taking your mickey, Evans—nothing by it!" he clarified, cutting in and grinning. She blinked a few times.

"O-Oh. Right. Okay." Well that was good to know…

"You're gonna have to figure out when we're joking Evans," Sirius noted, smiling with hands in his pockets.

"Maybe…" Lily murmured, struggling with a smile and looking at the floor.

"Well, just so you know, we're up for walking to the meetings with you girls if you'd like. There's an open invitation." James explained. The prefect looked at the fourth year with a diminutive smile.

"Thank you. We may have to accept that invitation." Lily gracefully notified.

"We'll definitely take it now." Jessica said.

"Perfect! Because we were going to follow you whether or not you said yes." Sirius remarked, making the fourteen year old laugh. The red head knew that Black was right—now that her relationship with Potter was consciously changing, she was going to have to get a feel of his manners and reactions so she did not misinterpret something and cause tension or conflict as a result. This new stance was truly unfamiliar and going to take some getting used to, but Lily had to admit, she felt relieved the former strain was gone….

When the four Gryffindors walked into the Potions professor's office it was only to see the customary circle of chairs and pupils occupying them. Slughorn was speaking quietly with the fourth year Ravenclaw by his desk and the two Marauders shot straight to the snack table as Lily and Jessica took seats near the Hufflepuffs Dawn and Melody, greeting them. Among the Slytherins Rosier was wielding most of the conversation, but Snape had tuned out the instant he witnessed the lions enter the room and what was so terribly wrong with it—they had come in as a _unit_, as if they had traveled to the meeting as a group. Together. Lily and her two heinous Housemates. As Snape gawked at his ex-friend and Regulus said something about nothing in the background, a piercing feeling he had no name for began to fill him. It was more profound than confusion and appeared to contain fear and disbelief as well. Severus could not ignore that this was not Lily's first time being around Potter and Black seemingly of her own accord and this was causing the feeling to become more intense. What was happening? What was going on with her?! If it was going to continue, he _had_ to get to the bottom of it.

"Well, time to begin my dear students! We will be short two tonight but it is fine," Slughorn announced, strolling to the circle with the Ravenclaw, "Ah, Lily! Glorious to see you, m'dear! We truly missed you last time."

"Oh. Well, thank you, professor," she responded, feeling a bit embarrassed for being called out. The snakes, excluding Snape, sniggered at her while James and Sirius rushed to their seats, having left the food area.

"So! Tonight I thought I'd let you all be in charge of the meeting, guide its direction. I know in our first November meeting I started to tell you about my enriched career history but obviously ran out of time before I even got halfway!"

"I missed that?," the red head whispered to the Head Girl, "What a _tragic_ shame!" Melody fought back an immediate laugh and grin that wanted to overtake her countenance.

"I promise I will complete that tale in later meetings, but today I want _you_ all to ask me questions about anything you want—anything at all! Whatever you are curious about, need or want to know, I will answer it as best and truthfully as I can." Slughorn attested. Slight murmuring then commenced as the retinue reflected on this revelation and considered questions it may ask.

"Anything?" Tavia posited.

"Anything, Ms. Denton. Who has a question?"

"What do you really think of Professor Dumbledore?" someone immediately asked. There was laughter at this inquiry.

"I think he is a great man with whom I have the fortune of working and you have the fortune of being guided by," the professor chuckled, "Quite eccentric, but it is a part of his glamour!" Sirius and James smiled at one another.

"You don't think he lacks the proper wizarding touch?" Rosier pondered. Lily shook her head with immense dislike as she stared at the blond and Slughorn turned and studied him for a moment, wearing the same amicable smile, before relaying:

"I'm not entirely sure what the 'proper wizarding touch' is, Evan."

"I can show you people who don't have it." Regulus mumbled, peering darkly at his brother and best friend.

"How comfortable are you with Muggle life? Do you have any directly in your family?" a Hufflepuff questioned.

"Ah, the personal questions!" Slughorn mentioned.

The inquiries the students put forth remained agreeable and straightforward for the most part and Slughorn gave simple or more elaborate answers depending on the nature. The students enjoyed the information they received and the professor was glad to give it, but as their time together drew to a close an inevitable subject came up that Slughorn seemed less than eager to discuss.

"Sir, how do you feel about… You-Know-Who?" the seventh year Ravenclaw prompted. Tense silence suddenly enveloped the dungeon and the professor's demeanor visibly altered, becoming more guarded and solemn. The raven felt instantly foolish for posing the question and the Slytherins gazed shrewdly at him, waiting for their Head of House's response along with the others.

"It is quite unfortunate what is happening in our world in regards to him." Slughorn gravely said, breaking through the silence.

"Are you for or against what he is doing?" Regulus added. Sirius peered at him in a sinister way as he leaned forward.

"I am against the misery life brings in whatever forms it manifests."

"Have you ever met him, sir? Have you had any form of contact?" Dawn asked. At this, the potions master's stance became rigid and he appeared horribly uncomfortable, eyes darting around at his pupils.

"Why do you all want to talk about him?" Slughorn hastily replied.

"Well… he's everywhere." Melody pointed out.

"Yeah. It's nice to know how professors feel about the situation." James vocalized. There were mumbles of consent. Snape sat in his chair with folded arms and squinted eyes, appraising like the rest of his Housemates.

"I don't believe in burdening your minds with such heavy thoughts—you're too young!" Slughorn revealed.

"That may be, but we're going to have to face it—_him_—when we leave Hogwarts!" Sirius affirmed. The kids' mutters became even louder and Lily found herself nodding unconsciously.

"He doesn't seem to be going away—Black is right," the fourth year Ravenclaw stated.

"Who says he has to go away?" Rosier challenged angrily.

"He is also not in this office as of present, so there is no need to discuss him!," the professor suddenly exclaimed, sounding frustrated. The students became silent, "This topic, about… about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, is over! It does no good." The Slug Club members peered at each other covertly, surprised at the man's unusual resistance and irritability about the subject.

"Anyway, it is time for you all to return to your dormitories—it is nine o'clock," Slughorn noted in a low voice, "Sleep well students. Until we meet again, which shall be at my Christmas party."

"Is that the only meeting for December?" Jessica wondered.

"I should think so, Ms. Langston. The end of the term is normally rough on you young wizards, and I know your noses will be buried in books and parchment. But, good night and farewell."

Lily and Jessica said goodbye to the Hufflepuff girls after shortly conversing about Slughorn's abruptness and then turned to see the two Marauders standing near their own seats chatting together, though the manner seemed a bit graver. However, when they noticed their female Housemates were ready to leave, they attuned to them.

"Ready to go then?" Sirius pondered.

"Erm, yes," the Muggleborn briefly smiled.

"So what was up with Sluggy's attitude about Voldemort?" James asked as the four moved to the door. Jessica jumped at his name but it went unnoticed because Lily had taken that moment to make a face and snigger disbelievingly.

"Sluggy?" she repeated.

"Yes, it's his nickname. We came up with it in fourth year. D'you like it?" the Potter boy remarked.

"I think it's adorable!," Sirius commented as they walked out of the office, "Would you like a name, Evans?"

"Uh, I think I'm fine without, thanks!"

"Well that's unfortunate because all the wicked kids have one!" James informed.

"Lily!" someone called not far up ahead. The Gryffindors looked and saw Marcus some feet ahead, apparently waiting for them or Lily as it were.

"Marcus," she smiled in return. Sirius glanced at his best friend as if to ask 'what is he doing down here?'. The red head moved ahead and reached her Hufflepuff companion before the rest of the lions.

"You're all the way down here in the dungeons?" Lily observed, half smiling.

"I knew you had your meeting and that they last an hour," Marcus said, shrugging happily, "I wanted to ask you something."

"It couldn't wait?"

"Of course not!... and I didn't want to be in my common room any longer involved in a staring contest with my homework."

She laughed a bit as James, Sirius and Jessica then caught up to them and the captain raised a questioning eyebrow, wondering what her next move would be. The other non Slytherin members were also bypassing them on their way to their rooms.

"Oh, yes! Right," Lily initiated, "You lot can go on to the tower without me—I'll see you."

"Okay!" Sirius replied nonchalantly. Jessica waved goodbye as Marcus quickly held up a hand of both greeting and farewell, and the pair let the trio get ahead some feet before leisurely following. James threw them one last look over his right shoulder.

"Black and Potter?" the Hufflepuff questioned amused, gazing at their backs, "You?"

"Yes… they're my walking partners to Slug Club meetings now, I suppose," she clarified.

"Wow… it's difficult to grasp, this concept! Potter goes from harassing you for years, to seemingly forgetting you, to now possibly being your friend?"

"Friend? I'm not so sure about that yet!... but a civil relationship, yes. And I appreciate the change, which I never thought would happen."

"Well, it's for the better so it must be good!" Marcus said, mentally adding, '_as long as he doesn't go back to showing signs of fancying you_'.

"So what was your question, Marcus?" Lily posited, looking at him.

"Ah, right. It's not that big of a deal, I just… wanted to ask you if you would go to Hogsmeade with me again, on Saturday."

"Of course! I would love to."

"Brilliant," he smiled, "I didn't want to assume, and then I thought about what I would have done if you had said no. It involved a lot of crying and jumping from the Astronomy tower."

"Wonderful. I would love to have a death on my conscience, it's always been my dream," she laughed heartily.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, would you like me to walk you back to your dormitory?" Marcus proposed. He gingerly took her left hand in his right.

"Yes," the Muggleborn confirmed, looking down at their intertwined fingers.

* * *

Marcus' proposition to Lily seemed to start the avalanche of Hogsmeade related activity within the Gryffindor sixth years' worlds, and the following morning James held Michelle back after Charms and asked her to be his date that weekend.

"Just us, so you don't have to be subject to Sirius' overwhelming presence. It'll just leave mine," he reported, the cute, crooked grin in place.

"Oh of course, James—yes!" she gleefully consented, smiling and nodding enthusiastically.

"Cool! Have any other blokes moved in on you yet?"

"I've been holding out for you." Michelle smirked playfully, though actually meaning it.

"Who wouldn't?" James quipped, sighing contently. The blonde giggled once before placing a kiss on his cheek and his grin became much more pronounced.

During dinner Marlene appeared a bit glum and when her roommates questioned her while dessert was had she exposed that it concerned Sirius.

"What'd he do now?" Mary asked, leaning in.

"Well it wasn't actually him of course, but the girl he fancies," the McKinnon girl told them, peering surreptitiously at the Marauders. Luckily they were having a rousing conversation with Frank and some of the other boys so they were not paying attention to anyone not involved in their lively discussion.

"Did she say something to you?" Alice wondered.

"No. But in Astronomy today Fiona kept going on and on about how she can't wait for Saturday to her friends, and how she wants everyone to see her with Sirius. She was so excited." Marlene observed, exhaling sadly. Lily nodded in agreement—she shared the class as well.

"I'm telling you, you'd feel a lot better if you just started disliking Etherton and took your anger out on her." Dorcas offered. Mary smiled appreciatively.

"She's not like that Dorcas." Alice mused, shaking her head but sounding entertained.

"Sometimes I wish I could be." Marlene admitted.

"No, you don't. I'll tell you what will help get your mind off Black: go with someone yourself!" Lily relayed.

"Like whom?"

"A Ravenclaw—you're always talking to them!," Mary suggested, "You get on with them."

"You do." Alice affirmed.

"Mmm… I don't know if I have what it takes to ask a boy out! I'm not that assertive." Marlene explained.

"Yes you do—you're a Gryffindor," the red head told her.

"And if you need an extra boost just picture Etherton blabbering on about Sirius; I'm sure that'll do it for you." Dorcas said. The McKinnon girl gave a long sigh and then reflected:

"Maybe I should go with someone. He doesn't seem to be moving past her, and I'd like to stop feeling so down."

"Precisely," the Waite girl smiled.

"If you get a date, that means it'll be me and Dorcas." Mary noted.

"Maybe we should follow suit," the Meadowes girl responded, giving a short chuckle as she played with her bread pudding.

"Maybe…" the Muggleborn mumbled, looking down at the sixth year males.

Ten minutes later Marlene and Lily had finished eating and left their House table to return to the lion common room, but they had barely made it out of the Great Hall before someone came jogging after them and told them to wait up. The person turned out to be Bruce Bowyer, a sixth year Ravenclaw.

"Hiya," he smiled.

"Hello," they answered warmly.

"So, erm, Marlene—can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," she consented, glancing at her friend hopefully.

"I'll be at the top of the steps." Lily notified, smiling and leaving the two alone.

"Well this isn't about a class or anything…" Bruce commenced.

"That's fine." Marlene assured.

"But I was wondering, and hoping, t-that you didn't have a date to the village, yet. And if not, I'd like to take your, if that's… okay."

She felt an immediate smile play at her lips and she knew she would let him be her date before she even vocalized it.

"That would be lovely Bruce! Yes, it is okay with me."

"Great!," the Ravenclaw grinned, "So I'll talk to you about it, tomorrow then!"

"All right!" Marlene nodded, smiling.

"Okay! Well, I've got to get back to my table; I've left my mates. Bye Marlene!"

"Bye Bruce."

As he turned to go back in the dining hall, Marlene turned to go up the staircase and happily let Lily know that her suggestion was coming to fruition and she would not be going to Hogsmeade by herself. On Thursday the red head had someone else approach her in regards to Saturday and this time he belonged to her own House. Spencer Toft, the fifth year, walked up to Lily right before he was going to depart for his third class of the day and his friends waited by the portrait hole; she in contrast was settling in for her much wanted free period.

"Lily," he began, strolling up to her without hesitancy, books in hand.

"Hi, Spencer," she slowly replied from her armchair. Dorcas sat on one of the arms, not yet ready to make her way to Care of Magical Creatures, and peered at him.

"Hey. So I wanted to know if you have a date for Hogsmeade yet."

The Muggleborn instantly felt taken aback and the usual dread of rejection began to seep into her body. She despised having to turn people down and always felt like a villain.

"A date?" Lily repeated, trying to stall but still quite surprised. Her dorm mate smiled next to her.

"Yes. If you don't, I'd like to ask you to go with me." Spencer notified. He sounded so confident! She was going to cringe to have to see his hopes dashed.

"Spencer, that's really sweet of you to want to go with me, but… I'm sorry! I already agreed to go with someone else…"

"You have?" He appeared to falter somewhat and she nodded a few times apologetically.

"Thank you though!" Lily cited, sounding sincere.

"Well… okay. I'll just try earlier the next time," the fifth year remarked, giving a fleeting smile over his slight disappointment, "See you Lily, Dorcas."

"Bye!" she called as the Meadowes girl waved farewell and Spencer traveled to the portrait hole and his waiting friends. The instant he reached them, they burst forth with obvious inquires as to what she said.

"At least he was more gracious than Alex—_he_ didn't insult anyone." Lily mentioned, exhaling some.

"I think you're as bad as Sirius, Lily." Dorcas commented, smirking.

"In what _possible_ way?"

"You constantly have a heard of people dying to ask you out when Hogsmeade rolls around!"

"Ha! And I'd rather not—I don't like telling people no," the prefect said.

"You used to always tell James no." Dorcas pointed out, smiling a tad.

"That's because he didn't seem to understand the meaning, and I had to scream it at him."

"Don't you miss those days?" the Chaser laughed. Lily gave a small grin and then reflected on something for a moment.

"Do you know if… if Potter has a date for Saturday? Black does, and they do everything at the same time. I'm just curious, I guess," she commented.

"I don't think he does," Dorcas revealed, getting off the chair, "Out of all the witches here though it'd be with Parks you know, Queen of the Giggles! But I see Sirius and James coming downstairs so I'm going to walk with them to class. Have a good free period Lily!"

Dorcas soon found out during Kettleburn's session that she was partially wrong and partially right about her assumption of James' Hogsmeade status when Michelle joined the Gryffindors and the topic came up. He had a date with her. Dorcas could not be too taken aback for she had said herself out of all the Hogwarts' girls it would be the Ravenclaw, but the truth is she was. James was going to the village with her exclusively on a date. The Meadowes girl remained generally silent in the boys' presence after discovering the information and her stoic silence continued into Quidditch practice that night at seven o'clock; conversely, Peter seemed to be channeling the same stoic quietness himself.

"Wormtail, why are you so quiet? What's wrong with you?" Sirius asked peering at him from his slumped position on a sofa. Peter was pulled out of his thoughts and looked at him.

"Huh? Nothing's wrong…" he reported.

"Are you sure about that? You haven't really been talking since dinner." Remus said with a raised eyebrow. He was posed over a letter to his parents he was composing.

"Was it Fiona?" Sirius questioned.

"What do you mean?" Peter responded, looking confused.

"At practice. She was talking a lot. Thought she may have annoyed you."

"Oh. No. Not that… she didn't."

"Hmm. Well it kind of annoyed me…" the Black boy mumbled. Remus glanced at him and grinned. They had all gone to Gryffindor's practice to watch and Fiona had been their company after finding out what Sirius was doing with his evening and citing that she wanted to spend time with him. As it was now, it was two minutes until 8:30 PM and the three sat in the Room of Requirement which resembled a mixture of Sirius' rooms at Grimmauld Place and Potter mansion, and the lions' common room. (He had been the one to imagine their sanctuary).

"So what is it?" the Lupin boy wondered.

"It's stupid, I reckon," Peter sighed, "Just… Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade?" This time Remus was the perplexed one.

"You know Pete, the village normally makes people happy, not sad." Sirius observed airily. The Pettigrew boy shot him an immense frown and then continued to say:

"No, not in that way! I just wanted… I was thinking maybe I… maybe I w-wanted a date. For once…" Sirius swiftly sat up and gaped at him with a telling expression on his countenance while Remus gaped in awe as well. However, before more could be said the door of the room was opened and James waltzed in, freshly bathed and with a large sandwich in his hand.

"The prefect bathrooms are magnificent!," he announced contently, "I should roll around in mud all day just to have an excuse to use them that often."

"You have food? And didn't bring us any?" Sirius noted as they all studied him.

"I was starving after flying around for an hour, so I went to the kitchens after I was clean. I had another but I ate it on the way here."

"Well Peter just said he wants a date for Saturday so your story has to go on hold." Remus relayed.

"_What?_" James said, eyes widening and finding a seat next to his best friend on the couch.

"Oh Merlin…" Peter muttered, hiding his face with embarrassment.

"No, go on Peter! We're listening," the prefect assured.

"Yeah, there's no way you're backing out now!" Sirius explained.

"I just thought I'd like to!... to maybe go with someone," he told them, playing with his fingers, "I mean, you two have dates, Prongs and Padfoot."

"I don't." Remus attested.

"I know…"

"So you don't want to be Moony's date?" James posited, a smirk playing behind his lips.

"Ha ha, James." Peter duly commented as Sirius snorted furtively.

"In all seriousness, Peter," Remus commenced, giving the other two pointed looks, "So it'll just be us on Saturday—it's been that way before."

"I get that, but… but it's starting to feel different, t-to me."

"Explain." Sirius stated.

"It's my sixth year, and I've never had… I-I've never been!...," he struggled, "James and Sirius have no problems with girls, and Remus you may not go round with them as much but you're not like me! Y-You've kissed a girl before, been on a few dates!" The three in question glanced at one another significantly, recognizing the weight of the issue.

"I think it would've been more, but his furry little problem comes into play." James joked, trying to make the situation lighter.

"Wormtail, is this about actually fancying a girl or… keeping up?" Remus inquired sympathetically.

"I dunno. Both?" he shrugged, sounding bitter.

"Well, do you have a witch in mind who you want to go with? Or like?" Sirius pondered. Peter glanced at his friends hurriedly and then mumbled something indistinct that they did not understand; James studied him nonetheless, knowingly.

"Wormy, if you want a date you have to at least put a name out there," the Black boy informed.

"Or if it's too late for this Hogsmeade trip, maybe we can just go with Mary and Dorcas for company, or meet up with them. Frank said they're going by themselves out of the girls." Remus suggested.

"Th-That would be cool…" Peter admitted, becoming alert and relaxing, "If they're okay with it. Maybe we can ask them…"

"What about Marlene?" Sirius wondered offhandedly, slumped once more and fiddling with Remus' quill (who did not know it had been taken).

"Marlene?," the prefect repeated, "Oh, she has a date."

"She what?," he prompted, ceasing his fiddling and staring at the Lupin boy, "A _date_? With whom?" Sirius was sitting up now and James was looking sideways at him.

"Bruce Bowyer. She told me in Astronomy today."

"_Bowyer_? Really?," Sirius was still gawking at Remus, but when he noticed his best friend's amused gaze on him he went back to his would be relaxed demeanor and sank into the couch again, "Well that's cool for her, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess." James remarked, a tiny smile on his face as he peered from Sirius to Peter.

When Saturday dawned and it was time for the upper years to depart for the village, they stood in the entrance hall and went their inevitable, separate ways.

"So are you two going with Dorcas and Macdonald or what?" Sirius questioned as he watched Frank and Alice walked into Filch's line, "What did you decide?"

"We're just going to meet them up for drinks, not spend the whole trip with them," shrugged Remus.

"I would've been fine with it, though…" Peter clarified, sounding uncertain at the end. (He and Remus were waiting with their friends for their Ravenclaw dates to show up).

"Speaking of Dorcas, d'you think she was acting kind of weird on Thursday? Unlike herself?" James wondered.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Remus answered.

"Girls—go figure." Sirius commented.

"Marlene!" someone then called, walking right past the Marauders in the direction of the sixth year girls. The boys looked and saw it was Bruce Bowyer, wearing a grin; Marlene waved at him with her own smile and Mary was whispering to Dorcas and Lily. Sirius' face took on a disinterested frown and he looked away back to the lines of students waiting to leave the castle.

In the next instance the five sixth year Ravenclaw witches descended the staircase and Sirius unfolded his arms, appearing relieved.

"Finally!" he stated.

"We'll see you two later." James bid as Peter nodded and the Black boy went to meet the ravens. He followed a moment later and Michelle was standing waiting for him, beaming as Fiona was already talking to Sirius and had an arm around his waist.

"Ready?" the captain grinned.

"Yes," the blonde assured, "In the Head's queue? I'm aware of your, er, relationship with Filch."

"You know me so well!"

Not too far off, the three remaining lion witches stood waiting for Lily's date to materialize while absent mindedly watching the people they knew.

"You know, I think this is the longest Black has ever gone round with one girl," Mary began, peering at the two, "Like I said before, he must really fancy her!"

"That, or he doesn't know how to end it with her." Dorcas replied, her own gaze set on James and Michelle.

"I don't think that's it. Just watch—Etherton will be the first girlfriend he's officially had."

"Oy, don't let Marlene hear you say that!" Lily stated.

"She has Bowyer now," Mary half smiled, "Well I see Potter is taking Parks too, of course."

"That he is." Dorcas mumbled, still gazing at them. Lily also peered at them.

"They're quite close as well."

"You know Mary, you seem to be keeping up with everyone's love life but your own!" the red head observed, partially smirking.

"Says who? _I _know what's going on with me," the Macdonald girl remarked, "And speaking of love lives, we've yet to start on you and Marcus, Lily!" The prefect smiled but in the next second it turned into a short-lived grimace.

"Right now I honestly just want to know where he is," she commented, consulting her watch, "He's taking longer than he said he would."

Conversely, the Hufflepuff prefect had yet to meet his date because he had been stopped by one Severus Snape, who had wanted a word with him on the way to the Entrance Hall. Marcus initially had reservations for speaking with the Slytherin for he knew his reputation, but when he noticed that Snape was alone he relented some, yet still kept his guard up.

"So what do you want?" the blond asked carefully, after the other boy had pointed out "I just want a word" in a short voice.

"You're going to the village with Lily, yes?" Snape wondered, staring at him.

"Yes… why?"

"Because I want you to be _very_ aware of what your intentions with her are."

Marcus threw him an expression fused with confusion and defiant outrage, then remarked:

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means for you to not cross the line with her, Hamilton. You'd better watch your boundaries because I'm watching you." Snape explained. The blond gaped at him in astonishment and then his face hardened with opposition and vexation.

"What happens between me and Lily is none of your business, Snape!" the prefect announced.

"Anything that happens to her is always my business!" Severus snapped, glowering at the other now and having rapidly removed his wand.

"No it isn't! Not since you two are no longer friends!"

"You don't know anything," the Slytherin said in a threatening voice, "And you would do best to listen to what I told you!"

"What I _know_ is that Lily wouldn't appreciate this so called talk you had with me, and if I tell her _you'll_ come off worse," Marcus relayed, fists balled. Snape's dark glare became more pronounced, "Leave me alone Snape. I've got to go meet Lily."

He then moved hastily past the snake and entertained the likely idea of being hit in the back by a curse; consequently, when it did not come, Marcus wondered if he would actually tell the Muggleborn about what had transpired. When Lily finally saw her fellow prefect walking towards her, she got the sense that he was hurrying and had something significant on his mind.

"Marcus, there you are!," she noted as he approached, "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm, er… I'm fine. Just have… just thinking about something," he responded, "Erm, so you're ready then?"

"Yes. Bye Dorcas, Mary—I'll see you later!"

"Bye Lily." Mary hailed while the Hufflepuff bid her roommates farewell by nodding.

"Hamilton." Dorcas acknowledged.

"We can go now," the Macdonald girl shrugged as Lily and Marcus strolled off.

"Right," the other witch uttered, exhaling some.

Marcus silently reflected on whether or not he should tell Lily about his interaction with Snape as they got into line and she was telling him about the letter her mother had sent her yesterday. He did not want to upset her by it but he also felt she had the right to know that her former friend was meddling in her personal life, or attending to; he also figured the Slytherin was serious about watching him, which was not a pleasant thought. In the end, as he and Lily exited the school into the cold, extremely overcast atmosphere outside, Marcus decided to not mention it, for now. He was not the first boy Snape had strived to intimidate in regards to Lily and as long as she dated he would not be the last.

* * *

A/N: So the next chapter is going to be pretty lengthy, which I'm sure is a good thing to you all, ha ha. The goal is to have it up in 10 days.


	18. Womanizer, You're a Womanizer

A/N: So, the first term is almost over for them and I'm excited because there will be more (positive) James/Lily interaction during the spring term, among other things I'm looking forward to writing. Yay!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 18 **

_Severus glared determinedly at Raymond Hayes as he slowly made his progression to the Great Hall along with his Housemates for dinner and they conversed about something or another. Mulciber said something blunt and Gates & Rosier laughed openly, but Snape was not paying attention to them—he was focused on the fifth year Hayes and how he was speaking too comfortably with Lily near the staircase, and how she was smiling too much. He continued walking and glaring, hoping to catch the red head's eye, but he had no such luck and had soon entered the dining hall. Lily came in some minutes later and rushed to the Gryffindor table still wearing that smile, headed straight for her dorm mates, and Hayes was right behind her but strolled over to his table, Ravenclaw. Snape watched Lily with appraising eyes as she spoke happily with her friends, their heads inclined towards her and with growing grins; she obviously had news to share and it was presumably about Hayes, and Severus needed to be aware of it as well. As he started on his tomato soup he knew it would be no trouble to speak with her after the meal._

_When he noticed that Lily had finished eating some 40 minutes later and had gotten up to leave the Great Hall with McKinnon and Macdonald, he became alert and saw it as his chance to talk to her. Snape would have to rid of the other witches but that would not be difficult since they did not like him…_

"_Lily," he began as the girls were about to leave and he walked up to them. Macdonald made a noticeable, small grimace._

"_Oh hey Sev!" she greeted._

"_I wanted to talk to you. Can we walk the corridors or something?"_

"_Yeah, of course!..." She peered at the other two and Mary seemed skeptical but Marlene said:_

"_We'll… be in the common room."_

"_So what's up?" Lily inquired as they exited the hall after her friends and roamed the space of the first floor leisurely._

"_Well, how was your day?" he first tried._

"_It was nice, well, other than that explosion in Charms. And I love that it's almost March—the weather will start getting better." _

_Snape nodded unconsciously then dived right into what he wanted to know._

"_So… I saw you talking to Hayes earlier, as we were going in for dinner," the Slytherin reported._

"_Yeah," she confirmed, half smiling and glancing at him. Damnit! He was going to have to probe further and make it more obvious._

"_Did he…," Snape commenced uncertainly, "Is everything okay? Nothing's wrong?"_

"_Oh, no! Nothing like that…. He just asked me to go to Hogsmeade."_

_Severus felt something in him clinch tightly and immediate dislike surfaced for Hayes._

"_Did he?," he started, attempting to control his voice and keep it even, "What'd you tell him?"_

"_I said yes." Lily smiled._

_Snape's anger flared on the inside as he thought negatively of the Ravenclaw. How dare he ask Lily! _He_ had hoped to go with his Muggleborn friend like he had done their last trip to the village, and now this git was going to ruin it all! Wizards at Hogwarts seemed to have taken a lucid interest in Lily since the end of third year and a year later Snape still despised it._

"_Don't you think you're kind of young?" he pondered quickly._

"_Young?," the red head half laughed, "Severus, he's just a year older than us!"_

"_Yes, but you're only a fourth year!"_

"_I'm also 15! That's _not_ young, Sev."_

_Snape muttered something indistinct as he stared at the stone floor and she peered at him oddly. A stint of silence passed before he said something else, this time clearly._

"_I'm just trying to make sure he's not dodgy or anything." Snape explained, looking at her while they were immobile._

"_He's not, okay?," she grinned a bit with some exasperation, "Raymond's a good bloke, Severus. No need to worry." Lily smiled at him before turning around and departing, headed back to her tower no doubt. _

_He watched her go, glowering somewhat. Hayes was "good", was he? Well _he_ would certainly have something to worry about, especially when he was unable to take Lily to Hogsmeade that weekend. All it would take was a conversation with a couple of upperyear Slytherins, including Rookwood… having connections was splendid._

_On Friday evening a surprised Raymond Hayes found himself battling three sixth year Slytherins on the fifth floor, and it unfortunately ended poorly for the Ravenclaw: he ended up in the Hospital Wing unconscious. Needless to say, Lily was horribly upset the following day along with a number of others and was inevitably dateless as a result. When Snape found her sitting morosely by the greenhouses fifteen minutes after the students had been allowed to leave for the village, she spoke first._

"_Your Housemates are terrible!," the red head affirmed with emotional eyes, "They attack anyone they want to, anyone who walks!" He did not reply as he sunk down next to her._

"_Ray was awake long enough this morning to let Madam Pomfrey know who did it. I hope they get detention and their privileges taken away for the rest of their time here!"_

"_Yeah, they're definitely not allowed to Hogsmeade today—Slughorn pulled them out to talk not very long ago." Snape relayed quietly. He wondered if his Housemates would blame him for their impending punishment, for they had attacked Hayes on his request. On the other hand Rookwood and his mates were a reckless band and appeared to care about little, so this may have been nothing to them._

"_Well, what about you? Do you want to go anymore?" he questioned after prolonged silence in which she sulked._

"_Not particularly." Lily revealed shortly, upset visible on her countenance. Snape knew he should feel badly for his deed, and he assumed he did to a certain degree (even though it was small), but it was overrode by the fact that she was now free, free to be with him._

"_Well, if you decide to stay or go, I'll be more than happy to be at your side." Snape mentioned, looking at the ground._

…

The visit to Hogsmeade went well for most and everyone was caught off guard when a light snow fell around two o'clock, the first of the season. The students sought refuge primarily in the pubs if they had not already chosen to return to the castle, and as a result saw many of their friends who they may have not gone to the village with. Marcus and Lily had been one of the first to arrive at the Three Broomsticks even before the snow had commenced and Sirius and Fiona were some of the last, when the establishment looked full to capacity.

"Oh!" Fiona pouted, seeing all of the people present.

"Wonderful." Sirius sarcastically uttered, rubbing snow flakes out of his hair.

"I hardly think there's room," she observed, frowning a tad, "Well… let's just go somewhere else."

"Somewhere else? Like where?" he proposed, sounding shocked.

"Mmm… oh! Madam Puddifoot's!" The brunette's face had brightened.

"What?! Fiona, I didn't take you for that kind of girl!"

"Oh Sirius! It's really not that bad!" Fiona assured.

"But, but… James and Michelle are here—over there!" Sirius tried, clearly not wanting to leave this pub in favor of Puddifoot's. and indeed they were—sitting at a booth near a window with the blonde a victim of a flattering smile.

"Let's just see if there's room there! Besides, we don't want to crash their date or ruin our own." She led him back out the door by grabbing his hand as he spotted Remus, Peter and two of the Gryffindor girls in another part of the room, and grumbled to himself.

As it turned out there was room in Madam Puddifoot's, though not much more, and it also held Marlene and Bruce at a small table which surprised Sirius, to say the least. Fiona did not appear to notice the other couple while talking away sweetly to her companion but it never left his mind, and he wondered if Marlene had seen him while wishing the trip would end soon. When dinner was served back at Hogwarts almost all of the pupils were there to eat, but that is not to say a few were noticeably missing. Mary slyly asked about Lily's whereabouts but the red head came trouncing in with a grin halfway through, whereas James did not show up at all during the meal, a fact his roommates were acutely aware of.

"Okay, spill! Lily, Marlene—how were your days?" Alice happily inquired as the five witches were all gathered in their room after dinner.

"Marlene can go first!" the prefect chirpily declared, stroking her cat Autumn on her four poster.

"Er, it was nice!," the pureblood chuckled some, "He bought me some sweets at Honeydukes and paid for my drink at Madam Puddifoot's… we spent a lot of time there." Dorcas made a face at the pub's name and Alice, Lily and Marlene all replied simultaneously:

"It's not that bad."

This caused them to look at each other and laugh before the McKinnon girl continued on:

"And… oh—_Sirius_ came to Puddifoot's."

"Did he really?" Mary pondered.

"Yes. I didn't say hello or anything… Fiona looked like she had him too wrapped up for that. But, I was with Bruce so it really didn't matter." Marlene said.

"Did you kiss him?" Dorcas wondered, playing with a deck of wizard cards.

"No. I think it's too soon for that! But I _do_ like him."

"Well what about you Lily?" Alice questioned.

"Did you agree to go out with him, or finally snog him, or what?" Mary prompted. Lily gazed at her shrewdly as she continued to pet her cat.

"_I_ don't kiss and tell," she mentioned.

"That would be a yes to the snogging," Dorcas reported. The other witches laughed, "Don't bother lying Evans!"

"It's about time, I expect," Alice grinned, "He really fancies you!" The prefect did not respond but struggled to stop an obvious smirk that was appearing on her face.

"You're considering going out with him, right?" Mary posited.

"I dunno," Lily revealed, scrunching her nose and smiling a bit, "It's a very good possibility! Probably. Just not at this exact moment."

"Oh! Mary and Dorcas—you met with Remus and Peter, yes?" Marlene commented.

"Yeah, at the Broomsticks," the Chaser confirmed lazily.

"I had a good time with Remus!," Mary offered, "And Pettigrew."

"Abigail Holland showed up at one point. Seemed pretty friendly with Remus."

"She's friendly with everybody—no big deal," the Macdonald girl swiftly amended.

"But she doesn't have a history with everyone, does she?" Dorcas casually remarked.

"It's not a history, really…" came the low mumble with folded arms. Lily looked over at her with a growing, interested smile.

Over in the boys' dormitory, they were speaking of Hogsmeade as well and continued to be James-less.

"I can't believe Prongs is still gone." Sirius stated, sitting open legged on his bed with his arms on his thighs.

"D'you think he froze in the snow?" Peter asked.

"I think he's frozen on some part of Michelle." Frank quipped, rifling through his trunk for his pair of gloves. Remus grinned.

"So, how did it go with Fiona, Padfoot?"

The Black boy gave a very pointed look for a silent moment and then relayed:

"She made me go to bloody Puddifoot's when it started to snow."

"Yeah?" Remus chuckled.

"Yes! And, okay—it's not awful, I've been there before—but give me the Broomsticks any day! And McKinnon was there with _Bowyer_…" Sirius explained. Peter smiled.

"So Fiona enjoyed herself, then?" Frank asked.

"She brought up the boyfriend issue, _again_, so, yeah, I guess so! Merlin, I don't know what to do anymore! Avoiding it is _not_ working!" Sirius then fell back on his mattress, making a frustrated noise.

"It's simple: make her your girlfriend," shrugged Remus.

"Moony, really? Did you really just say that?" came the exasperated response.

"Well then stop seeing her, hello! _You're_ making it difficult with your stupid rules about girls! Maybe you should try to figure out why you don't like commitment."

Sirius did not answer as he continued to lay down, presumably reflecting on what Remus had said to him.

"So… how was your time with the girls, Peter?" Frank pondered, breaking through the quietness.

"Pretty wicked! Well, actually, Dorcas seemed a little put out in the beginning, but she came round!," Peter relayed as the other nodded, "And Remus here had a visit from Ms. Abigail Holland!" Peter smiled knowingly while finishing his sentence, while Sirius sat back up wearing a truly similar smile.

"Is this so Lupin?" he questioned merrily.

"Yes," the prefect affirmed, peering cautiously at his friends.

"The same Hufflepuff with whom you had your first kiss?"

"Yes…"

"So, what did she want? Another go?" Sirius remarked. Frank laughed some.

"That was two years ago Sirius," Remus noted somewhat dryly, "Can't someone just want to talk? Because that's what it was."

"If you say so! Just don't be too surprised if she asks you to the next Hogsmeade trip."

"Maybe you should just go for it Moony, if she _is_ thinking like that. Holland's a good one, though I'm sure you know." Peter suggested.

"I agree." Frank nodded.

"Then that just leaves Wormtail to hook up!" Sirius said, gesturing with his arms.

"That may not be necessary," Remus half smirked, "I think he's found someone on his own."

Peter froze while Sirius' and Frank's eyes widened with new alarmed pleasure and gave the prefect their full attention. The Pettigrew boy had now started to redden and quickly pointed out:

"I-I don't know if I w-want you telling them, Remus!"

"Too late Pettigrew—he _has_ to tell us now!," Sirius responded surely, "And we're your mates too; we deserve to know! Go ahead Moony—enlighten us!"

"Well, as we were walking back to school, Peter happily let me know who he fancies here," the Lupin boy revealed, glancing at the other with a humorous, small grin.

"Oh Merlin!..." Peter murmured, putting his face in his hands.

"You shouldn't be ashamed, Peter!"

"What year is she? House?" Frank eagerly asked.

"A sixth year. _Gryffindor_." Remus noted, grin widening. Sirius laughed loudly and fully as he turned on his bed, sounding as though he had just received a gift of some kind. Frank chuckled appreciatively.

"Who?! Which one?!" the Black boy posited excitedly, looking from Peter to Remus.

"Dorcas." Peter cut in, his face still hidden. The answer caused Sirius to laugh once more, and even louder in fact.

"Dorcas… wow!," the Longbottom boy uttered, smiling and gazing at the short wizard, "Dorcas!"

"She's r-really cool, okay?," Peter began, "She's witty and brave, a-and helpful!"

"She is." Remus confirmed, inclining his head.

"This is, this is brilliant!," Sirius notified, shaking his gleeful chortling phase off, "No really Pete, it is. It's brilliant! You fancy _Dorcas_! It's great! And she _is_ really cool! Ah, wow…." The Black boy exhaled to gather himself and then spoke again.

"Merlin, this is good stuff. Prongs should be hearing this. Where the hell _is_ he?!"

The answer to Sirius' inquiry about his best friend's absence was the passage behind the statue of the one-eyed witch and he had company in the form of Michelle. James and his day date had been there since dinner had ended in the Great Hall earlier that night and he currently inhibited this particular spot of the castle because, quite frankly, he figured the Astronomy Tower would already be occupied by other snogging couples. James could have taken her to better suited locations like the Room of Requirement or even behind the mirror on the fourth floor, but they had been closer to their current place when he had impulsively kissed the blonde and he had not wanted to put off the imminent snog any longer than required. The two teenagers were presently smashing their lips together in blissful haste as Michelle's arms were locked securely around James' neck and his hands roamed from her waist to her back in an erratic fashion. They had been snogging for a sufficient amount of time now, a moment the Ravenclaw had been actively anticipating as well as the captain, so when he felt a very familiar buzzing in the pocket of his coat he was less than pleased to notice it.

"What's wrong?" she prompted breathlessly, looking in his flushed face when she felt him pull away. The observation of his colored countenance gave her a rush of warmth and she knew her own face must have been just as colorful.

He looked down into her eyes (which sent another enjoyable sensation through her body) as if somewhat distracted and then replied:

"I just thought I felt…," James shook his head in the next instance, however "Nevermind. Maybe not." He went back in to resume their heavy kissing and Michelle eagerly accepted the first one, but seconds later they were interrupted once more by nothing other than a human voice.

"Oy, Prongs! It's me—pick up!," it remarked, sounding far away but there nonetheless, "Where in Gryffindor's good trousers are you?! You've been gone all day mate! Are you dead? Pick up!"

They had ceased snogging for a second time and the Ravenclaw was peering at James' coat bizarrely as he immediately realized the source of the voice and silently swore.

"All I see is black; it's all dark in here! Where do you have me? In a pocket or something? James—hel_lo_!" Sirius continued on as the captain rapidly removed his mirror and tapped the back of it with his wand once. The phantom Sirius instantly stopped speaking.

Michelle looked at him expectantly as he chuckled a bit and let the mirror fall back into his left pocket.

"Er, that was Sirius as you can tell! Two way mirror—I forgot I had it with me." James told her.

"Ah! Okay," she smiled. She then gently took the front of his coat in her hands and slowly pulled him back towards her, the same smile still on her lips.

"Why do you still have this on? I just noticed. You must be hot right now!" the blonde mentioned.

"Well since we're asking questions, I've got one," he admitted, shrugging.

"All right."

"Would you care if I made you my girlfriend?"

Michelle appeared blindsided for a moment as she stared at James with a gawking expression, but in the next instance the brightest beam she had ever given him broke out on her face and color, red, flooded her cheeks.

"Not one bit!," the Ravenclaw squeaked, yanking the front of his coat in her happiness, "Oh James—of _course_ I'll go out with you!"

"Excellent," he grinned, a sly glint in his eye. She threw her arms back around his neck and kissed him heartily, thankfully. James returned the fervor as he started to maneuver out of his coat to better pick up where they had left off.

When James finally made it back to the dormitory that night he was in a noticeably uplifted mood, and Sirius was so glad and eager to see him that he quickly told Peter's revelation about Dorcas when he stepped into the room. The captain was stunned but happily proceeded to inquire about it when he got over the initial surprise, proclaiming that he had had a feeling Peter fancied her. After conversing about Peter's love interest, Sirius then slightly irritably questioned his best friend where he had been for the last few hours; when James answered with Michelle, who was now his new girlfriend, the boys had a reaction similar to Sirius' earlier one and immediately flung questions at him, grinning all the while. Consequently, about 20 minutes afterward when they had started to settle down and Frank had gone downstairs to meet Alice in the common room, Sirius seemed to be ruminating about something and suddenly blurted out that James' new relationship had just put a significant amount of pressure on his, Sirius', own life.

"How?!" the Potter boy half laughed.

The answer was that Fiona would be thrilled about her best friend's new status and would hound Sirius even more to make her his girlfriend.

"You know girls—they like to do everything together!" the Black boy said warningly. James had the same response as Remus for his closest friend: either let go of Fiona or give her what she so clearly wanted, and this caused Sirius to brood once more.

"Well, let's hope Michelle is a good fit for you and doesn't interfere with or try to stop Marauder business!" Peter remarked.

"I've yet to have a girlfriend who has." James smiled.

* * *

By Monday, the last day of November, it was well known that Gryffindor's Quidditch captain was going out with Michelle Parks and it was quite the interesting bit to talk about. Snape could have truly cared less about stupid Potter getting another deluded witch to agree to hang onto him for weeks on end, but it eased his mind to know that he now had a distraction and would keep away from Lily in that sense.

"D'you think James has a thing for blondes?" Alice wondered somewhat quietly, smiling over her porridge as the girls ate breakfast that morning with everyone else.

"What?" Lily responded. Dorcas shot her a very weird look.

"Oh yes…," Marlene commenced, "First Emma, now Michelle!... oh, that's so cute!" She and Alice then broke into giggles.

"I think Dorcas was right—you two are the mental, romantic twins." Mary noted as Lily smiled appreciatively and picked up a croissant.

"We simply appreciate when people are happy because of love." Alice commented.

"Love? Oh _please_. Hardly," scoffed Dorcas, her arms folded on the table, "And please don't giggle so much—you sound like _her_."

"Don't say anything when it happens to you, Dorcas! You won't feel the same way." Marlene advised.

"Well you don't seem too happy and full of laughter whenever it's Sirius and Etherton, Marlene. Do you appreciate it then?"

Marlene's smile lucidly left her face as she and the rest of the girls gazed at Dorcas in disbelief. That had been completely unexpected and uncalled for.

"I… I, I'm sorry," the Chaser prompted, realizing the harshness of her words and peering around at the other four, "Marlene, I'm sorry! That was wrong. I didn't mean, I didn't mean to… I shouldn't have said it! I'm sorry." Dorcas sighed audibly and then continued, looking guiltily at the pureblood:

"It's been a pretty bad weekend for me… I apologize."

"It's okay Dorcas. I know that wasn't purposeful." Marlene stated dolefully. In the next instance Frank plopped down in the spot on Alice's left and gave her cheek a kiss.

"Morning," he greeted.

"Morning!" she answered, smiling dreamily at him.

"Where are your loud roommates?" Mary questioned with a fleeting smirk.

"Never too far behind, usually." Frank relayed, grinning some and jerking his head: the Marauders were crossing the threshold of the dining hall speaking nonchalantly yet humorously.

"Congratulations James!" Marlene hailed when they arrived to the lions' table and took seats with the other sixth years.

"Thanks!," he replied cheerfully, "Er, for what?"

"Michelle!" she stated as a few chuckled, as if it were obvious.

"Oh… okay! Well, I suppose she _is_ quite lucky, so maybe you should congratulate her." This was a joke so Lily could not help but to shake her head once and smirk a tad, whereas Dorcas fought to keep herself from genuinely rolling her eyes so busied herself with food.

"Girlfriend number three!" Peter mentioned, his eyes briefly flickering to Dorcas. The red head stole a glance at James; this _was _his third girlfriend, wasn't it?... hmm. Well, she surmised that he did attract girls for one reason or another.

"So, are you next Black?" Mary posited, looking at him.

"Uh, for what exactly?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow and ceasing raising his cup of coffee to his mouth.

"Getting a girlfriend, of course! Officially."

"Why?" he uttered, incredulity in his voice.

"It only makes sense! You seem to really like Fiona, Sirius, and it's been a few months now." Alice reported.'

"Yeah… I'm going to say no to that. No girlfriend."

There were snorts and sniggers of laughter, and Marlene bit a smile back as she stared down at her half empty plate. Conversely, Remus was gazing at Sirius rather seriously and even James did not appear too amused.

"I know, all right, I know!," the Black boy commenced for only his three friends to hear, "This is… not going away. It's obvious—I have to stop seeing Fiona."

"When are you going to tell her?" Peter inquired as Remus nodded in approval.

"As soon as I can, I suppose."

"She's not going to be happy." James observed, peering over to the Ravenclaws where his girlfriend was chatting excitedly with Fiona.

"Yeah," Sirius steely said, "But, it's time. I never do like this part."

As soon as Sirius was able turned out to be the next day, the first day of December, after Thorne had dismissed her class for the day.

"Practice those Stunning Spells everyone! When you come in tomorrow you should be able to have your partner paralyzed within ten seconds! We've been on them for awhile now and finish tomorrow at the start of the session. You'll be marked on it!" the professor lectured at the students packed their belongings up and began to leave.

"Dorcas—" Peter initiated, grabbing his bag and turning to find her.

"After practice tonight, Pete—yes, our session," she confirmed, putting her book away.

"Okay. Wicked," he smiled, "I think I'll stay in the castle to practice and miss _your_ practice, to make sure I don't fail tomorrow."

"You know you won't."

"I'll help you Peter, while she's away." Remus offered.

"Thanks Moony," the Pettigrew boy acknowledged.

"Hey!" a cheerful voice hailed, meeting the ears of two of the standing Marauders. James and Sirius looked and saw Fiona and Michelle walk into their vicinity with matching, happy smiles and bags on their backs.

"You know, you should be a bit nicer when you're calling someone," the captain observed, grinning lopsidedly.

"All right—_hello_! Is that better?" the blonde smirked.

"Loads."

Dorcas saw the raven witches out of the corner of her eye and made a face before following a talking Mary, Marlene and Alice out of the room. (Marcus had wandered over to Lily and they were talking by a desk).

"Is it? 'Cause I can think of a few other things, better things, which are too!" James commented.

"Fiona, I wanted to talk to you." Sirius told her quietly while the other two went on, taking a hold of her elbow.

"Of course," she guaranteed, a hopeful smile illuminating her cute features.

"I'll… see you, mate," he bid as James and Michelle made their way to the door. The Potter boy gave his best friend a questioning look as he walked and Sirius confirmed it by nodding covertly and showing an apprehensive grimace. James shrugged encouragingly as they left the room and Peter and Remus were right after.

Sirius started a conversation about the final Quidditch matches of the term next week to kill time while he waited for the classroom to empty and she actively participated, citing that their Houses would be facing one another.

"It'll be a conflicting match for me, but our win will probably ease the pain a bit!" Fiona attested.

"That's, that's funny," Sirius responded with a haughty smile, "Remind me to not invite you to any practices this week, spy." She laughed some and he gazed around the classroom to see how many people were left. It was essentially deserted, apart from Lily and Marcus talking by a desk near the exit.

"Did you want to talk to me about Quidditch?" the brunette pondered, eyeing him.

"Er, no…," Sirius then turned around to speak to the prefects, "Could you two give us the room? Please." The other two gazed over at them as if they had not been completely aware that they were not alone and caught off guard by the request.

"Um, for what, precisely?" the red head wondered somewhat skeptically.

"Nothing that would result in a detention, Evans—get your mind out of the cauldron." Sirius half smirked. Lily sent him a look and tried to cover up the humor that had crept into it.

"We just wanted to talk." Fiona clarified, smiling a bit.

"Yeah, okay," Marcus agreed, "We'll see you two in Herbology later."

"That you will Hamilton!" the Black boy said a little too merrily.

"Hmm." Lily vocalized as she and the Hufflepuff exited the room.

"Okay so what's up?" the Ravenclaw asked jovially, moving closer to him.

"Right," he murmured, beginning to feel very uneasy which typically did not happen, "So, about the whole boyfriend thing…" Her eyes lit up and a grin started to transform her lips.

"Oh, when Michelle came back on Saturday night and told me about James I was so happy for her!," she gushed, "And then of course I thought about you and how much we've talked about it."

Sirius glanced at her wryly and thought, _you mean how much _you've_ talked about it_?

"Yeah. Well, listen Fiona—I don't think you're gonna be happy. I don't think I'll make you happy."

Fiona drew her head back in shock.

"What do you mean?," she chuckled uncertainly, "You do make me happy." Oh Merlin, did she have to say that? He exhaled loudly.

"Okay, but… I can't give you what you want." Sirius informed.

"What I want?..." Fiona repeated slowly, looking at him strangely.

"I… I don't want a girlfriend, Fiona."

There. It was out. She, however, now had a blank countenance and was staring at him silently.

"You don't want a girlfriend," the Ravenclaw flatly stated.

"No…" he guiltily attested.

"Are you taking the mickey or something?"

"Not about this." There was more silence in which he felt awkward and she stared, but it was broken not long afterward by her anger.

"And you are telling me this _now_?" Fiona inquired hotly, now glaring.

"Well, it didn't start coming up until pretty recently!" Sirius pointed out, sounding somewhat disbelievingly.

"You never had intentions of going out with me?"

"Well, I… it wasn't on my mind like that."

"So have you never fancied me then either?!" she demanded.

"Of course I did!" he answered.

"_Did_?!"

"Do! No—ugh! Fiona, I really liked you and—"

"So what is the problem?" Fiona questioned, a hand on her hip impatiently.

"You started going on about the girlfriend, boyfriend thing and kept bringing it up." Sirius resolutely mentioned, throwing his arms out.

"Oh, and that was a problem for you? You couldn't handle it?!"

"It got to be stressful, okay?! You wouldn't let it go…"

"Oh, forgive me for liking you!," she shouted, scoffing slightly, "So what the hell were we doing this entire time, Sirius?!"

"Having a good time!," he implored, gesturing with his left hand, "It was fun! Then it got to be, be… kind of clingy, and—"

Her eyes flashed and Sirius instantly knew he had said something terribly wrong.

"Clingy?!," the witch yelled, "Okay! So I was a good time to you, huh?"

"Not like _that_!" he insisted, feeling frustrated.

"You took me round on your bloody arm like a decoration and I _let_ you! I should have known better!"

"Well what does that mean?"

"You've never had a girlfriend and yet I!... ergh! I'm so blind!," Fiona ranted angrily, "Why did I expect you would change?! You're _you_!"

"Okay, now you're going too far!," Sirius remarked, looking at her warningly, "I am _not_ a bad person!"

"Whatever Sirius! Thank you for letting me know this whole time was a waste of my life!" She stormed off in a huff for the door and he swiveled around to watch her go, somewhat vexed himself. This had not gone how he had expected it in any sense; what a mess!

"You're pathetic Black," Fiona reported as she stood in the doorway, glowering. His mouth fell open in shock, "And my roommate is right—you _are_ a womanizer!" In the next instance she stalked away and he rushed to the door, yanking his bag off the table.

"Not asking you to be my girlfriend _doesn't_ make me a womanizer!" Sirius called after her with absolute aggravation, frowning.

Sirius told his dorm mates about the debacle with Fiona that night in their room after having spent an hour at dinner, during which multiple, mutinous glares, stares and whispers were directed his way from the Ravenclaws' area. The Marauders seemed to be amused but sympathized with how badly it had gone, or at least he hoped they did.

"Wow, a womanizer!," Peter grinned, "She said that to you? She actually said it?!"

"Yes! One of her mates said it! _And_ she called me pathetic!" the Black boy commented disbelievingly, his voice loud. James was laughing, a hand on his forehead, while Remus shook his head.

"That is _harsh_, Padfoot!" the Chaser said, grinning largely.

"You're telling me! And it's not funny—it was awful."

"I told you Sirius, I told you this was not going to end well," the prefect relayed, "It caught up to you unfortunately!"

"It was shocking. I've never been through this with any other girl!" Sirius remarked.

"No?" Peter prompted.

"No! she blew up mates, it was mental! I didn't know that side of her existed! It was bad. It was like—"

"Like a real breakup?" Remus interjected. The other three all looked at him, "A bad one, granted, but either way."

"Insightful, Moony. Elaborate." James noted.

"He's never stayed with a girl as long as he was with Fiona. She grew attached. It was kind of like the relationship she wanted, so she was really emotional when you ended it, or admitted you didn't want it to start."

"Good point." Peter nodded. James agreed.

"Well, like you said, there was no point in going on with it." Sirius muttered.

"Of course not. But she's gonna naturally be upset." Remus shrugged.

"I _do_ feel badly, if it makes her feel any better."

"I think the only thing that'll make her feel better is if you take it all back," the Potter boy notified, smiling empathetically. The Black boy mumbled under his breath, arms crossed. The Lupin boy peered at him then sighed somewhat.

"But even after all of this Padfoot, _we_ don't think you're a womanizer, even me," he said. Sirius glanced up at him and smiled thankfully.

"We know you better," James grinned, "But come on—watching our practice will make you feel better!" He hopped up and snatched his Nimbus settled on his pillow; it was nearing seven o'clock and the Quidditch team had to convene at seven for practice.

"I think I'm sitting this one out, Jamesy. It's pretty damn cold out there for one, and if I'm watching by myself my mind may wander to Fiona and how weird she made me feel." Sirius explained.

"And Peter and I are working on his Stunning." Remus alerted.

"All right," the captain shrugged, "I'll see you three in an hour, then."

"We'll hope the snow from the morning doesn't pick up again!" Peter bid as James headed out.

Practice went smoothly and it was bone chillingly cold outside but the seven Gryffindor players played and flew well, satisfied when it was over and they were back in the locker room once more preparing to leave. Consequently, James could not help to notice that Dorcas continued to be oddly closed mouth like she had been during the weekend and said little, or at least to him.

"I can't believe we're done with matches for the year next week!" Amy said, pulling her school robes back on.

"Yeah, and we don't play again 'til February." Kirby replied, throwing his bat into his locker.

"I'm just excited for Christmas this month!" Elizabeth stated.

"Oh, for sure!" Rodrigo attested, stretching his arms. The others vocally agreed. James nodded as well as he closed his locker; he loved Christmas and could not wait for this particular winter holiday since his father had promised him Falcon tickets.

The team began leaving the locker room and James wanted to speak with Dorcas before she departed with either or both of the female members.

"Dorcas, don't leave—wait up," he proposed. She gazed up at him and he moved to go meet her, but Elizabeth planted herself in his path after two steps.

"James, quick question," the Keeper commenced, arms behind her back.

"Erm, okay."

"So, is Sirius really not… is he done with Fiona Etherton?"

"How'd you hear that?" James wondered, sounding alarmed and entertained.

"From a couple of Ravenclaws. So is it true?" Elizabeth persisted.

"Well, yeah, Lizzie—it's true…"

"Oh. Okay," she responded, a small but very content smile forming on her face, "Thanks!" The fifth year then turned away swiftly and rushed to the door where Amy was waiting. James looked at Dorcas, who had undoubtedly witnessed the display.

"They waste no time when it comes to him," she stated.

"No they don't," he chuckled, finishing walking over to her.

"I knew it wouldn't last though. Mary was convinced."

"It seems to have actually affected him. Poor bloke."

"He'll be fine." Dorcas lazily shrugged, arms folded. The captain nodded absent mindedly, gazing at her.

"Dorcas, are you okay?" James posited.

"Why do you ask that?"

"You haven't seemed like yourself these past few days."

"How so?" she pondered.

"Well, you've seemed distant, to be honest. Like something's bothering you," he elaborated. She looked at him with an indescribable expression for a few moments.

"I'm fine," the witch claimed, looking away.

"Are you sure? Because I'm not. I've known you for years now Dorcas, and I don't like when my friends are upset."

The Meadowes girl continued to look away with crossed arms and pursed lips, not saying a word, but after enough time she caved in and let her arms drop.

"Okay! Maybe I've been… preoccupied, with a few things!" she admitted, sounding somewhat annoyed.

"What kind of things?" James inquired. The other Chaser exhaled.

"I don't really like to bring other people into my problems."

"Well unfortunately I like to _get_ into the problems of the people I know!"

Dorcas shot him a glance that held exasperation and humor.

"Well… I've been thinking a little about your situation," she quietly said.

"Me?," he marveled, grinning a tad, "But I'm fine!"

"You're going out with _Parks_ now, and I'm concerned about some things." Her arms were folded again.

"But Michelle's brilliant! I don't date dodgy people, Dorcas." James insisted, laughing. She scrunched her face up with vexation and rapidly mentioned:

"Well what if Quidditch suffers now that you have a girlfriend? You know how important it is James!"

"Of course I do—of _all _people I know!," he reported, seriousness seeping into his features, "I have never let a girlfriend get in the way of Quidditch before and I'm not going to start now! Trust me Dorcas." She peered at him with a bit of opposition but his admission appeared to have generally eased her mind.

"And what about your studies? You'd hate to lose your spot as one of the top students because you spend so much time with her."

"I spend my time doing anything _but _studying, so that's not going to change! Well, sixth year _is_ different…"

Dorcas looked away once more, shrugging. It seemed she had run out of words or simply did not want to say anything else. He looked at her and grinned slightly.

"Thanks for worrying about me Meadowes, but I think I'll be able to handle having Michelle in my life." James relayed.

"Whatever you say James." Dorcas replied offhandedly.

"So… will you stop being preoccupied soon? We miss the normal Dorcas."

"You're a twit," she grumbled after a stint of quietness, smiling grudgingly. His upbeat attitude was contagious.

"I'll take that as a yes! Perfect."

"Just walk me back to the tower, Potter."

In the next instance, conversely, the door of the locker room was pulled open and Michelle ambled inside.

"James? Are you in h—oh," she called, ceasing when she saw the two leftover lions who were staring at her. She seemed to be fretting about something.

"Nevermind." Dorcas mumbled, looking at the floor.

"Michelle," he noted, sounding surprised, "What are you doing in here?"

"I'm sorry! Is your practice over?," the blonde replied hastily, "I'm not trying to spy, I swear, I just—"

"No, it's over. You're okay. But, are you actually okay?" He sensed the worry in her demeanor.

"I wanted… it's about something," came the low answer.

"Well, I'm going back now," Dorcas announced, grabbing her wand and gloves, "I'll see you later, James…" The captain held up a hand of farewell as the petite witch made her way out, capturing the Ravenclaw's eye and giving an attempted, half hearted smile that was very brief.

"What's wrong?" James questioned, walking closer to the door where she stood.

"I'm fine, it's just… Fiona," Michelle admitted, appearing apologetic. He grimaced; of course he was going to hear about it from her, "I know! But James, she's really upset! Why would Sirius do that?"

"I don't… you'd have to ask him, Michelle!," he exhaled, sounding a bit weary, "It wasn't so simple I guess."

"If he didn't want to _be _with her then why was he even with her at all? He led her on!"

"I—"

"It was selfish, I think. He shouldn't have done it," the Ravenclaw noted.

"Whatever his reasons, Sirius just isn't really ready for girlfriends, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about girls." James revealed, sounding as if he had no more to offer. She gazed at him dubiously before saying:

"Well he has a very odd way of going about it." The captain half smiled and decided to move on; although they were involved by association, this was not their battle to contend with.

"Look," he commenced, taking her hand, "Sirius is my best mate and Fiona's yours—I get that. And while this is an uncomfortable situation to deal with, it shouldn't affect us as a couple. In the end we can't do too much because it's not our problem." Michelle looked at him with something of a sad frown.

"I know. It's just hard on her," she remarked lowly, "And it kind of made me think if… if _you'll_ just drop me like that too." James seemed taken aback.

"To ease your fear, no, I won't," the Chaser assured, peering at her face, "For one, I'm not known for being allergic to girlfriends. And two, you're pretty damn cool, for a Ravenclaw. So, no worries!"

He grinned at her and a fragile but pleased smile broke onto her features, and she allowed herself to be pulled into a hug for which she was grateful.

"You know, I really wasn't trying to get a peek at Gryffindor's Quidditch plans. I just had to find you." Michelle muttered into his robes.

"I know," James stated, "But if I see any more Ravenclaws around during our pitch time until the match, your House is going to regret it."

* * *

With December now upon the students and staff of Hogwarts, it was recognized that the month was going to be very jammed packed with things to do and accomplish since there were only three weeks to do it all in (thanks to the winter break). The final games of Quidditch had to be played and the professors had to give final essays and exams for the term, for which the pupils were not happy. The Marauders, it seemed, had an even longer list to adhere to since they had to carry out their final prank, full moon adventure and Sirius' birthday celebrations, as he was so happy to point out. His birthday was on the 19th, the day the students would actually return to their homes on the Express, but he wanted to celebrate the day before for obvious reasons. There was no Hogsmeade trip scheduled for December and a number of kids were disappointed by this, but the castle was being transformed in the spirit of Christmas to make them feel better and a few of them could get into the village on their own, of course.

A week after Sirius had let go of Fiona, when snow seemed to perpetually fall from the sky and blanket the grounds, and Hagrid had already brought the trees into the school for aesthetics, she continued to give him the cold shoulder while covertly resenting him.

"I wish she would get over it already!," Sirius bitterly mentioned Wednesday morning through gritted teeth as he sat in Transfiguration with the rest of his classmates. (It was their first class of the day).

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious she's still upset with you." Peter mentioned from his seat next to Remus.

"It's really getting on my nerves! I swear, if she were a bloke, I'd hex her to Neptune and back for keeping this up."

"Has she spoken to you since that day?" Remus wondered, glancing up from his partially transfigured pieces of string.

"No! Not one ruddy word! She'd rather communicate through death glares and whispers about me," Sirius relayed. James nodded in agreement, "And the worst part is now every Ravenclaw witch fourth year and up hates me! My reputation is ruined in that House; they're off limits to me now."

"It won't stay like this, Padfoot. Things'll go back to normal and the Ravenclaw girls _won't_ want to hang you eventually!... in a few months… hopefully!" the Potter boy explained.

"A-And I'm sure they don't _all_ hate you! Well, all the sixth years do, but that's okay!" Peter notified. The look Sirius gave them conveyed he was not mollified in the least bit.

"Things will die down with time, Sirius. By the time we get back from the winter holiday, she'll most likely have cooled down." Remus advised.

"That'd better be true, because I can't take her secretly jinxing me for too long!" the Black boy said.

He was referring to the previous day in Herbology when he had been unsuspectingly tending to his plant alongside his roommates when he was suddenly hit with a mysterious, aimed curse at his nose that caused it to swell to the size of a small pumpkin. While much of the class gasped and laughed, and Sprout appointed Remus to escort Sirius to the Hospital Wing before angrily scolding her students for horseplay, he observed (through his unpleasant surprise) that Snape and his friends appeared pleased with his condition but Fiona had an even larger aura of smugness and wore a tiny smirk. As he rushed out of the greenhouse with Remus at his heels, he knew she had bene the reason for his magical abnormality.

"This hasn't really affected your relationship with Michelle, has it Prongs?" Peter asked, having only done the first step for his transfiguring.

"Besides the time she came to the locker room, no," James answered as Sirius finished turning his second string into a knife, "She says she doesn't hang around when it's all of us because of Sirius; it's still too new to do that to Fiona, or something…"

"She keeps her mates from being around big, terrible Sirius," snorted Sirius. Peter smiled, but in the next moment McGonagall had appeared by theirs desks and did not look delighted.

"I'm sorry, but I do not believe it says to 'talk continually' anywhere in the instructions. And yet you four are doing so anyway," she remarked sternly, peering at them with slanted eyes. They all glanced at each other.

"We…" Sirius began.

"Are wasting class time Black, yes, I know! Do not give me excuses."

"We're sorry, Professor!" Peter hurriedly commented.

"I highly doubt that Pettigrew—_you_ haven't even gotten any visible work done yet!," McGonagall lectured, "Lupin, all you have is the cleaver. Potter, you and Black at least did most of the knife as well but it's not finished!" The Marauders all looked down at their work uncomfortably.

"Class has been in session for nearly 40 minutes—this is unacceptable. Now, I suggest you four shut your mouths and move your wands to complete this assignment. If that is too much to ask I will gladly make different seating arrangements for you all until the end of the year, _and_ keep you from attending today's Quidditch match! That way, you are free to focus," the professor elaborated with folded arms. She gave them a parting, piercing gaze before moving on and Remus grimaced heavily at his friends.

"What is she—channeling Fiona?" Sirius mumbled, pulling his book closer.

* * *

A/N: So, I don't want anyone jumping out of a window because James is now going out with Michelle. Clearly, they will not stay together and indeed break up sometime during second term, but I can't say too much about that because you'll eventually see for yourself, wink. Like I said, I can't wait to get to their second term; I'm excited for it.


	19. Victory

A/N: I want to start by giving my apologies, readers. I'm very sorry it took this long to get this chapter up! But I suppose life happens, eh? Anyway, a word to some new readers— _sasha: _not enough Lily, you say? Okay. I'm aware of it now, thanks. _Libertine 01: _thank you for your kind words! I appreciate that.

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 19**

Hufflepuff was facing Slytherin after everyone's second class of the day, and the Marauders made it to the match without having to suffer McGonagall's wrath. (They clamped down and did their work, assisting Peter when he needed it). It was not snowing but there was snow on the grounds and it was severely cold outside. Michelle had wanted to sit with her boyfriend but she had to stay strong in her stance against Sirius so stayed with her Housemates. Conversely, Marcus chose to sit with Lily and the Gryffindors for which he received scolding from a handful of other Hufflepuffs. He was expected to be in the presence of his House on a day like this…. As soon as the game started, James, who had not required his team to sit as a unit this time, commented that although he despised Slytherin and wanted them to fail, they were an annoyingly good team and would flatten the badgers.

"Wow. It's nice to know you have faith in my House, Potter. Thanks—it means a lot." Marcus remarked from his position next to Lily, one bench above the Marauders. James looked back up at him and saw that he had his brows raised wryly as his friends peered at the Hufflepuff as well.

"It's hard to hear Hamilton, but I'm just being realistic," he replied, his own wry expression beginning to form.

"Shouldn't you be sitting with your House, by the way? Supporting them?" Sirius half grinned. Lily narrowed her eyes at his observation.

"I think I can still manage that from here," the prefect mentioned, a bit of wit coming out.

"And you really are one to talk, Black," Lily began shrewdly, "As often as Etherton was with you. We honestly started to second guess ourselves and wonder if she was actually a Gryffindor!"

There was laughter from the other sixth years and even Sirius let his grin show, while Marlene smiled and looked from Lily to the Black boy.

"Well as you can see, she is not here now." Sirius pointed out.

"Yeah, kind of surprising." Dorcas quipped.

As some of the group finished chuckling, Marlene peered at Sirius with the ghost of a contemplative smile while playing with a portion of her hair.

"Erm, Sirius?" she began unsurely. He looked up at her, somewhat amused.

"So… it's true then? I haven't seen you with… with Fiona these past few days, but I wasn't sure." Marlene explained. _I didn't want to get my hopes up_. He gazed at her a bit longer while a small trace of enjoyment became evident on his face.

"That's the question of the year, it seems," Sirius noted, "But yeah—it's over. Never started." He turned back around with a half smirk and she felt a definite, pleased smile form on her face as she looked at his head.

"Okay, back to the match people, which I hope Hufflepuff will win but doubt. Sorry Hamilton." James uttered, wearing a minute smirk similar to his best friend's. Marcus rolled his eyes but did not appear truly upset (in fact, was that something of a grin?) and Lily gazed at the captain with an unimpressed, pointed expression. When James saw the way she was looking at him, his smirk widened.

Consequently, James' prediction about the match came to pass sadly enough for the badgers—they lost 50 to 220 to Slytherin during the 60 minute game and Regulus obviously caught the Snitch before the other Seeker did. Marcus was expectedly displeased over the outcome of the match but Mary seemed to be more upset over having spent nearly an hour in the harsh cold for a game that had not even included her House. She vocalized her gratitude for heating charms and pondered why she simply had not left early as they all headed back to the school for their next classes. Gryffindor had its chance to play the following day, Thursday the 10th, and the match was scheduled right after the end of lunch. James told his teammates to eat wisely so they would not consume too much and become lethargic and thereby less effective players—the lightly falling snow was enough of an obstacle for them to contend with. During the meal, Sirius had a few things of importance he wanted to discuss with his best friend before everyone was out on the pitch.

"Just so you know, when we win today, it'll be cause for a party so that's exactly what's going to happen," he stated.

"Come again?" Remus prompted, quirking an eyebrow.

"When we win the match we'll have won all of our matches for the term, so it's _only _right we throw a celebratory party in the common room."

"And you figure that?"

"Of course!," Sirius said, taking another warm roll, "Peter and I decided on it yesterday. It's not even a question." Peter nodded earnestly in agreement.

"How wonderful!," Remus remarked sighing defeated, knowing he could not talk Sirius out of this one, "It can't get out of hand, or draw McGonagall's attention; she'd be right pissed!"

"Granted it's not as fun if there's not some chaos, but we know Moony."

"We'll make sure McGonagall doesn't have to come anywhere near the Tower this time!" Peter affirmed.

"Exactly—we'll be good. Right James?," Sirius remarked, looking at the Potter boy, "Well, I mean, that's assuming you even agree with the party idea. You weren't in favor last time." The captain peered at the three as he drained the rest of his tomato soup over the rim of his bowl, and then commented as he wiped his mouth:

" 'Course I do. It's the end of the term and we'll have a perfect record. A party is a brilliant idea."

"Excellent," the Black boy grinned.

"Then we'll have to go into Hogsmeade for supplies!" Peter piped, smiling.

"That we will." James attested.

"I have rounds at ten o'clock. I won't be able to go." Remus alerted.

"We can go to the village at nine." Sirius told him.

"I have rounds at ten o'clock. I won't be able to go," the prefect repeated firmly, staring at him. Sirius smirked and knew the Lupin boy was telling him not to push it or require more from him.

"Well now that that's out of the way, we have to talk about one more crucial event," the Black boy began, throwing a napkin on his plate, "The last prank." Peter made a noise of comprehension while Remus groaned exasperatedly, putting his spoon down. Were they going to give him a break?!

"Next week is the last week of classes so we need to get moving on planning it. I think the beginning of the week is better since there's a lot going on at the end of it." Sirius clarified.

"School wide or Slytherin only?" Peter questioned.

"Prongs!" Remus commenced beseechingly, looking at him for help. Maybe James would be on his side—he had been a second, surprising voice of reason this term. The other two peered at the captain as well and Sirius' gaze was expecting; the captain felt caught.

"Well…," James said, "Sorry Moony, but I think we should do it. It's our last one of the year."

"Yes! A Christmas gift for Hogwarts, from the Marauders." Sirius grinned devilishly as Peter laughed once and Remus gave a long, hard sigh.

"A party and a prank," the prefect flatly noted.

"It'll be fine, Remus." James half smiled.

"Yeah, it's the season of giving anyway! I think you're so snippy because the full moon's on Sunday, so I can understand," the Black boy chided, winking at him. Remus stared at him with a very blank gaze and then vocalized:

"If I bite you on Sunday, I apologize now." The other Marauders laughed heartily as the captain glanced at his watch.

"Ah, it's almost 12:45! I've got to go," he uttered, shooting up and raking a hand through his hair.

"See you out there, mate!," Sirius hailed, "We'll outline the prank, start brainstorming."

"I'm thinking school wide—give the snakes a break." James nodded, indicating to his teammates they had to leave now.

As the seven Gryffindor players departed the Great Hall amid cheers from their House, taunts from the Slytherins and stares from the Ravenclaws, Michelle caught up to James (who brought up the rear) on the threshold of the dining hall.

"Well, good luck, as captain," the blonde remarked, "I hope you play well, but…"

"But?" he inquired, looking at her.

"I don't want you to win," This came out guiltily and caused him to laugh, "You're playing my House, after all!"

"I am, I am! So, I can't be too upset that you actually want Gryffindor to lose. No hard feelings." James grinned. She smiled in remorse.

"Fiona really wants your team to lose, but that's because she's still angry at Sirius," Michelle revealed. He shook his head, "So, don't hurt yourself while flying, but, try not to win either." The Ravenclaw then pecked him on his cheek, which elicited cat calls from those watching.

"I won't try—I just will!" he assured.

"James!" Dorcas called in an annoyed fashion, clear out of the Great Hall along with the rest of the team. He attuned to it before glancing back at Michelle, winking, and then rushing off to catch up to his departing Housemates.

The snow continued to fall when lunch had ended and everyone was outside seated in the stands for the match, bundled in cloaks, scarves, beanies, mittens and extra socks, with the heating charms well in use. It was a testament to the students' love of Quidditch that they were watching the game in such cold, uncomfortable weather, and the players were even more committed for playing in it. (They were no doubt colder). Marcus remained with the Hufflepuffs for this game although he had tried to get Lily to come over to his side, and Michelle genuinely was torn in between wanting James to do well but not too well, enough to be victorious. Ethan Coombs seemed slightly down while describing the match, still affected by his House's lose the previous day and the fact that it had not won any games for the year, and Sirius remarked that it "that kid doesn't get some enthusiasm, _I'm_ going to replace him in the new season!". It was apparent for this match that Slytherin wanted Ravenclaw to prevail, since it was the only other House _possibly_ worth something in its eyes, and was quite vocal against the lions. However, with the determined way the Gryffindor Chasers were playing it was going to be a close call, especially Dorcas; she had scored half of the goals by herself and appeared to want to keep it up so that the capture of the Snitch would be irrelevant.

"We're up by 30. That's good!...," James started when the lions were all on the grass taking a short time out thirty minutes into the game. He peered at the Meadowes girl, "You, uh, you're fine, yeah Dorcas?"

"Fine? She's amazing! She's scoring up a storm out there!" Kirby happily mentioned.

"That's how it should be! We like Ravenclaw but that doesn't mean we go easy on them." Rodrigo offered.

"Exactly," Dorcas said, looking at James, "I guess I'm just in the zone today. I want the perfect record."

"We don't mean to make things awkward for you and your girlfriend James, but they're going to eat snow." Elizabeth lightly laughed. Mitchell grinned some and Dorcas looked at her appreciatively and smirked.

The captain nodded.

"I know," he acknowledged, "Back in the air then, and keep it up—let's make sure Ravenclaw stays behind!"

The game resumed and twenty points and 15 minutes later, the Snitch visibly appeared and hovered in the stands where the staff was located. There was constant cheering as the two Seekers raced after it but it was significantly more arduous to track the ball through the veil of white coming from the sky. After a minute of pursuing, both Mitchell and Patrick Phines lost sight of the Snitch and the audience groaned in disappointment as they gazed around perplexedly for it—had it gone away for good? If it had, who knew how long it would remain absent, which meant the already lengthy match would be prolonged.

"Maybe we should go get the Snitch James nicked and release it as _this _one. Then we won't have to be out here come nightfall." Remus commented, rubbing his cold arms. Peter smiled.

Ten minutes later the golden ball was back and everyone shouted out, though this time it was flying around an unaware Alex Farrell who was concentrated on hitting Bludgers. The Seekers burst into action and made straight for the Beater, who whacked a black ball in the direction of James with a Quaffle. When Alex saw them hurtling at him rapidly for no apparent reason, he became momentarily alarmed and reacted by flailing his limbs as he pulled back. He ended up kicking the Snitch in the process, finally realizing it was there, and caused it to fly right into the formation of the Ravenclaw Chasers. Mitchell and Phines shot after it once more and flew straight into the ravens 'V' like pattern, causing them to break up erratically in a mess of confusion and made the crowd stand on its feet, excited by the antics and the end of the match. A Chasers' bristles whacked the Snitch and sent it flying off again and Phines instantly followed its unknown path, but Mitchell was held up by two of the Ravenclaw scorers and their brooms.

"And McKinnon looks like he's having some trouble with untangling himself from the Chasers while Phines is in hot pursuit of the Snitch, which is now near Welps!" Coombs announced.

"What's going on?" Alice wondered worriedly.

"Oh, come on! I think they're holding him up on purpose!" Sirius noted.

"Pay attention Crimps!" Frank yelled.

The Ravenclaws were now screaming happily at the likelihood of their win and Amy managed to score a goal for Gryffindor as Mitchell finally streaked out of the Ravenclaws' grasp and rapidly searched for the other Seeker in the sky. The lions cheered but were now concerned if their Seeker would be able to catch up to the other in time; indeed, Phines was terribly close to the winged ball (that was extremely nearby Rodrigo), and Mitchell gave forth a burst of extra speed out of terror. As Ravenclaw's Seeker threw his arm out and a grin spread across his face, practically everyone thought what he was thinking—he was going to capture the Snitch and his House would win. In a very pivotal moment right before Phines clasped the ball in his hand, Rodrigo turned around from hitting a Bludger and came in full contact with the rival Seeker; Phines rammed into the Gryffindor's chest before either had time to avoid the collision and the Snitch evaded its capture. Consequently, a few seconds later after the observers had "ooohed" loudly at the crash, Mitchell flew in from the left and snatched the golden ball up before it could get away once more, thus ending the game.

Gryffindor erupted into shouts and cheers of elation as it realized it had won and kept its perfect record, while Ravenclaw felt its joy ripped from it with the untimely crash of Rodrigo and Phines. The Slytherins booed at once and some of the ravens were vocal about their immense disappointment too, though they did not resort to taunts.

"Are you _kidding_ me? They won?!," Fiona yelled from the stands, "But that wasn't even fair—Patrick _had_ it! Rematch!"

"How do we know Flores didn't turn around on purpose?!" another sixth year, Morris Finster, pointed out in a frustrated voice.

"Well, at least your boyfriend will be happy, Michelle." Tavia remarked with folded arms, clicking her tongue.

"This is an outrage." Fiona grumbled. Michelle let herself frown.

In the air the lions were huddled around Rodrigo to check if he was okay after the collision, and after he assured them he was just fine "even though I have a sore nose", they took to celebrating around Mitchell as their Housemates celebrated in the stadium. (The Ravenclaws looked defeated as they watched their opponents and two of the Chasers tended to a very upset Phines).

"Party, party in the common room! Later tonight!" Sirius hailed, turning to those around him. He was answered by energized whistles and wide grins of consent.

"Wait, what?," Lily began, peering at him as her peers started to move around in order to leave, "Party? Black, what are you talking about? Black!"

But Sirius, along with the Marauders, was among those students moving to leave the stands and so did not hear the prefect speak to him, or at least pretended not to.

"A party?" Lily posed to her roommates, peering at them.

"Oh come on Lily, we deserve it if they do throw it!" Marlene smiled.

"You know they will," Alice said, "Gryffindor's undefeated!"

"As long as McGonagall doesn't show up…" the Muggleborn mentioned, "I suppose I can try to get something out of Remus tonight."

The party was most definitely on in the Marauders' eyes and James was so high from their victory that he planned it just as avidly with Sirius in their next class of the day; in fact, all of the lions in the school seemed to be very pleased. Fiona continued to be quite upset about the match's outcome, taking it as a personal matter that somehow equated to _Sirius_ winning, as did the Slytherins since they hated seeing Gryffindor prevail. Right before the last classes of the day and while the snow continued to steadily fall outside the castle walls, Michelle met James in a hallway on the third floor and congratulated him on his House's win.

"You're not too put out, are you?" he questioned as they stood near a window.

"Not really. I mean, it was pretty disappointing at the match but now it's wearing off. Fiona's still really unhappy though," she explained.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. She, along with some other Ravenclaws, thinks Flores may have rammed into Patrick on purpose."

"That was an ironically fortunate accident." James attested.

"I know." Michelle nodded.

"Well, listen—Gryffindor is having a party in the common room tonight to celebrate our record so far. You should come!"

"Me?"

"Well we're going out; I hoped you would," the captain told her.

"By myself? With all your Housemates?" the blonde probed.

"You can bring someone! Well, I know Fiona wouldn't be a smart choice, but maybe Tavia or another one of your roommates."

"Maybe…"

"Well, just think about it. You're more than welcome," he reported.

The Marauders planned to make a trip into Hogsmeade via their own passages around nine o'clock, but since they knew that it took around 15 to 20 minutes to get to the village, actually chose to leave the castle at 8:45.

"We'll be right back in time for you to go on rounds. See? We won't even be missing curfew!" Sirius remarked to Remus as he, Peter and James stood by the door of the prefects' lounge, ready to make their trek.

"And by the time you're _done _with rounds, the party will be in full swing!" James added.

"Yeah, so you and Evans can join right in!" Peter finished, wearing the magically expanded school bag that would hold all of the party related items. (The Invisibility Cloak was also in there for precaution).

"I can hardly wait," the Lupin boy commented, glancing hurriedly at the entrance, "And can you three not talk so loudly about illegal parties in the prefects' lounge, where prefects just show up unannounced?"

"Well if you weren't doing your homework in here it wouldn't be an issue." Sirius observed.

"Why are you doing it in here?" the Potter boy asked.

"I like changes of scenery when I do my work sometimes." Remus vocalized.

"You're a strange one, werewolf. Later!" Sirius bid. He and the other two then marched out of the room and off to the left.

"You can't say that word either!" he shouted after them. A few moments later the seventh year Hufflepuff and fifth year Gryffindor prefects, who had rounds soon, walked into the lounge and looked at Remus oddly—they had heard his last sentence. He looked at them in return and chuckled nervously before clearing this throat and muttering something completely indistinct that sounded a bit like "friends".

When the three Animagi arrived in Hogsmeade, glad to be out of the drafty, frosty underground tunnels, the first stop was the Broomsticks for two whole cases of butterbeer.

"How much do you reckon it is?" Peter whispered to the best friends.

"You ask that every time," the Chaser notified as Sirius shrunk the crates to fit inside the bag, "About ten Galleons, we assume, and that's what we always leave."

"We should get two cases of soda pop as well so leave 13, or something," the Black boy informed. James dug 15 gold coins out of his money bag while Peter watched and Sirius moved on to shrink the soda cases next.

"You're so lucky to come from a _rich _pureblood family, Prongs." Peter noted.

"You can have mine if you want. All that gold and it only takes the trade in of your soul." Sirius responded. The other two snickered.

After the pub the Cloak came out and the boys traveled over to the cellar of Honeydukes where they picked out a plethora of diverse candy to satisfy their fellow lions, but knew their final destination would be Hogwarts' kitchens for more solid food. They headed back a little after 9:30 and transformed into their animal forms so they could run with two additional legs and get there faster (Peter sat on James' back). Once inside the castle and human teenagers yet again, James took off in the direction of the kitchens while Peter and Sirius returned to Gryffindor Tower in order to set up for the impending festivity. A large, gold banner that said 'UNDEFEATED' in scarlet had been placed above the portrait hole to their discovery and when Sirius inquired about it, Elizabeth and Mariann Keys gleefully told him that the seventh year boys had made it. The two Marauders hurried upstairs to their room with the bag and when they came back down along with Frank and Spencer, for support, each had a crate of drinks with candy atop it. Those in the common room cheered and more lions came out of their rooms as the edibles were placed on the empty study tables near the windows. The younger years awed as to how the Marauders obtained such non traditional things in time like these but the older students knew not to question the terrific feats they typically pulled off.

At five minutes until ten o'clock, Lily left for her rounds very aware of the fact that much of her House was presently in the common room chattering away.

"Remus isn't upstairs is he?" she wondered, standing near her roommates and the only three sixth year males present.

"No." Peter answered, shaking his head.

"We left him in the prefects' lounge about an hour ago. He's probably still there." Sirius stated.

"Right. I'll be back, then." Lily said, turning away.

"See you soon Lily!" Marlene replied.

"I have a question—where is the Quidditch captain?" Dorcas asked.

"Getting the rest of the provisions! Once he gets back at any second, let the fun officially begin!" Sirius revealed.

As it turned out, James was entering the room as Lily was exiting it and the two came face to face with one another.

"Off to your rounds Evans?" he posited, grinning largely and holding a large platter in both hands.

"Er, yeah…," she confirmed, gaze trailing down to what he was carrying, "What is that?"

"Food!"

"Food. From the kitchens?"

"That would indicate I know where they are." James half smirked.

"I know you do," the red head uttered, raising an eyebrow, "You bragged about it a lot during third year."

"You should hurry back Evans, so you and Moony don't miss too much of the party. I'll save you some of this, if I can." He winked at her then proceeded into the room where his friends stood, who greeted him warmly. She looked back at them for a moment before resuming her original path in the opposite direction.

"I stopped by Ravenclaw's tower after I left the kitchens—that's why I was a little slow in getting here." James told them as he set the food on the table with everything else and removed the cover.

"Really?" Peter posed.

"Hold that thought Jamesy," Sirius directed. He then turned around to face much of the common room, "Let's party! To Gryffindor, the undefeated Quidditch champs!!" He was answered by shouts and whoops and an influx of kids to the food area. Someone had put a hand crafted gold crown on Mitchell's head and he was wearing it humbly.

"Okay, so why'd you stop there?" Sirius questioned as they walked over to the flaming hearth with three butterbeers.

"To see if Michelle was going to come. A few of the ravens didn't look too happy to see me, namely the Quidditch players in the room." James relayed.

"Is she going to come?" Peter prompted.

"Nah."

"Why not?"

"She said she wanted to support and be with me, but her House just lost and she would've felt out of place here," the captain responded.

"She could've brought someone." Peter suggested. Sirius glanced at him as he took a swig.

"That's what I told her earlier, but she probably would have taken Fiona along with her under normal circumstances—"

"And _that _would've been a disaster," the Black boy bluntly remarked.

"Exactly," James chuckled, pointing at his best friend, "At this exact moment, with the way things are, it _would_ have been all around awkward. So it's fine she didn't come."

"Uh, hello!" someone called. The Marauders turned to see a mixture of their friends and a couple of seventh years looking at them with entertained expressions.

"Are the hosts of the party really going to stand there near the fireplace all night?" Amy wondered, smiling and holding a soda bottle. Alice giggled some as the boys peered at one another quickly.

"Of course not, love! We're not only the hosts but usually the life of the party as well!" Sirius commented, grinning as they went to merge with the group.

Lily did find Remus in the prefects' lounge and they spent a lot of their hour patrol discussing their House's celebration—how it was presumably going, just how loud it probably was, and betting whether or not McGonagall would make an unwanted visit before the event was through. Consequently, they were both quite antsy to get back to the common room (partly to see if it was still happening and partly to see their friends) and only had one upset of the patrol, but it unfortunately involved Regulus Black. He had been out roaming the fourth floor with two friends, both of whom were a year ahead of him. When the Gryffindor prefects confronted the Slytherins and told them to return to the dungeons, they were answered with name calling, belittling and obvious defiance; when Remus threatened to bypass the Head Boy and Girl and go straight to Slughorn, the snakes bitterly departed.

"Image means so much to them, which is ironic considering how foul they are," he said, glowering while they watched them walk away.

"I can't believe he and Black are related," Lily stated, "I mean, I never thought Black was an ideal angel but he's not on his younger brother's level at all!"

"Not anywhere near it."

The Slytherins looked back at the Gryffindors and laughed abruptly and maliciously before rounding the corner to go down the staircase.

"And the funny thing is he's not a fraction as awful as some of the other Slytherins," she noted.

"I know." Remus affirmed.

"Should we follow them to make sure they go?" He looked at his watch.

"Just as far as we can go until we get to the lounge; it's nearly eleven. Sam and Amy are taking over—we'll tell them to watch out for the Slytherins."

"I'm sure they were upset they had to leave the party!"

When the seventh years relived the sixth years, they revealed that the soiree had still been in effect when they had left and much fun, so it was obvious the two were eager to get back. Lily and Remus alerted their Housemates to Regulus and his friends and then traveled to the common room, only to find that the lions continued to celebrate. The Beaters had a laughing audience while they enacted some sort of funny sparing scene, the fourth years were rambunctiously playing Exploding Snap, the sound of constant chatter pervaded the air and there was confetti and food containers littered across the floor.

"James was right," the Lupin boy half grinned, as an excited "oooh!" came from somewhere in the room.

"Do you see our year?" Lily pondered, gazing around.

"Um… oh, yes! To the right of the hearth."

Indeed, the sixth years were all pretty much together: James was talking happily with Peter and Dorcas, Marlene and Sirius were smiling and talking, and Mary was speaking with a seventh year witch.

"Where are Frank and Alice?" she asked, noticing they were missing.

"Uh! Rather… preoccupied!" he told her, holding back a laugh and gesturing towards a window. The couple sat on the sill of it completely engrossed in each other, kissing intensely and seeming to be ignorant of everyone else there.

"Oh! Well!," the red head started, smiling some, "I don't think I've ever seen them so openly affectionate in public!"

"I think the butterbeer played a role."

As she shook her head in good humor, a familiar, not too exuberant voice said her name, and when she attuned to it it was to see her ex-boyfriend Edmund Priatt gazing in her direction.

"Oh no—I am _not_ in the mood to talk to him!" Lily mentioned, making a face, "Let's go." She grabbed Remus' hand and jerked to the right, getting lost in a pack of second and third years. They zigzagged their way through the room and soon approached their friends.

"Hey, the prefects are back!" James greeted, grinning widely and opening his arms.

"Mr. Lupin and Ms. Evans! Fantastic of you to come!" Sirius added, walking over with a smiling Marlene.

"Congratulations on not being broken up yet." Remus quipped.

"Ah, thank you Moony. We do try."

"You all look very content. How many butterbeers have you had?" Lily questioned.

"Only two, for me! But I've had a soda pop too and quite a few sweets." Peter reported.

"Sirius and James have been competing to see who can consume the most, I think." Marlene observed.

"That sounds about right." Remus attested, smiling at Mary as she joined them and gave him a very warm "You're back!".

"James is secretly winning." Dorcas smirked. He nodded happily.

"Bias! You're his teammate, Meadowes," Sirius insisted, waving it off, "Pettigrew will vouch for me! Go ahead, vouch for me Wormy."

"That reminds me!," James interjected suddenly, "Evans, I've got something for you."

"Me?" she said, sounding surprised.

"Yeah!"

"What… what is it?"

"Come on, I'll show you," he told her. Lily started at him strangely, not making a move or saying anything in reply. Was this going to end badly?

"Just come on Evans!," the captain laughed some, gesturing to her, "It's not poison or anything."

James walked over to where the food was with his drink in hand and after she peered at her roommates, who smiled encouragingly, she followed him. Nothing edible was left except for crumbs and her stomach quietly rumbled with wistfulness; she knew the food had most likely been delicious (but procured under questionable circumstances).

"So, what is it Potter?" the red head asked, making sure she did not sound demanding or peeved. He reached for his wand and waved it over a spot next to the empty tray she had seen him carrying a few hours earlier, and in the next moment a small plate of snacks was visible.

"Food," he smiled, looking at her. Her face showed mild shock.

"Is it… for me?" Lily wondered tentatively.

"Yep! I hid it to make sure no one would huff it down. I told you I would save you some!"

The Muggleborn gazed at the plate and then looked to James, even more shocked. He had actually reserved food for her? Wow! She truly had not imagined he would do such a thing or that he had actually meant those words—she barely remembered him saying it! Glancing at the food again, Lily thought what a considerate action that had been and began to feel quite pleasant.

"Wow. Um, th-thank you, Potter, really! That was nice…" she remarked, picking it up.

"No worries. I said I would," the Potter boy answered, continuing to smile.

"Hey Prongs!" Peter then called. They both looked over to where their friends were standing.

"Our story telling abilities have been requested!" Sirius notified, smiling smugly.

"By Wormtail?" James pondered, raising an eyebrow.

"No, by them!" Peter corrected, pointing to a healthy sized group of Gryffindors closer to the girls' staircase that was looking hopefully at the Marauders. (Among it were Sirius and James' happy female devotees).

"Well we can't disappoint!," The Chaser then turned back to Lily, "You should come listen Evans—it'll be rousing!"

"So which wonderful tale should we recount?" Sirius inquired, meeting James halfway and then proceeding to the awaiting group with him.

Marlene, Peter and Dorcas went to join the observers in good humor while Lily strolled over to Mary and Remus, who wore faint smiles on their faces. Mary noticed the newly acquired food her friend had and looked at Lily questioningly, who shrugged coyly as she popped a bit of Pumpkin Pastry into her mouth.

The seventh year prefects came rushing back into the common room some minutes after midnight appearing noticeably concerned, and they instantly called for attention by letting their Housemates know that McGonagall was on her way. Apparently the professor had heard some of the rumblings coming from the tower, found the prefects and asked them to investigate the noise then report back to her. Of course Amy and Samuel knew the actual source of the noise and so simply told their Head of House that they had not found anything during their inspection. Conversely, right before their shift ended, McGonagall came to them once more with the news that the "disturbance" was still present, and as such she was going to inspect for herself. Thankfully the professor returned to her office to retrieve her wand before setting out on her hunt which gave the seventh years time to hurry back to their dormitories rapidly and give their peers a bit of warning. When the information hit the kids' ears they jumped into action—the two youngest years ran back to their rooms with squeaks of fright while the older years whipped out their wands frantically and magically began to make the mess that littered the room disappear, become hidden or tidy up. With so many people helping the mess was cleared up in no time, and this was really the only option because McGonagall would arrive before they knew it and they could not be caught in the act.

When the room was clear mostly everyone shot up the staircases and to their dormitories without delay, with the Marauders at the forefront for the boys. A handful of Gryffindors remained downstairs so their Head of House would not be too suspicious at the complete desertion of the common room for that would be odd, and when she entered the tower with hands on her hips it was only to see the few remaining lions mulling about leisurely. Needless to say that as McGonagall stared at them in clear confusion and they gazed back with wonderment, she pondered if she had merely created the noise in her own mind. Perhaps she needed the winter break more than she thought…

The full moon for December was a few days later on Sunday and by Friday the usual pains of the process hit Remus. Thankfully the day fell on a weekend so he would not have to miss but Monday's morning classes and the customary motherly visit was announced Friday afternoon. The Lupin boy made his way to the Hospital Wing Saturday evening after skipping dinner with everyone and consuming soup and tea in his four poster, brought to him by his friends. Conversely, he was already anticipating the weekend to be over because once the process was done and he was off bed rest he immediately had something to contend with: the last prank of the year. The Marauders had spent much time at the Quidditch party on Thursday night talking about their plan and had come to the decision that it was going to be executed Monday night at dinner and involve the entire school. It was going to be in spirit of the upcoming holiday, per Sirius' suggestion, and the boys had spent a portion of Saturday transfiguring toothpicks into numerous objects essential to the prank. Of course, they still had homework to do during the weekend and felt particularly unmotivated to do it since there was only a week left, and James had to make time to spend with Michelle.

Snape meanwhile concocted another way to catch Lupin and the remaining three in the act since he was no longer allowed anywhere near the Hospital Wing unless in obvious physical pain, and by Sunday was back on track. James spent the early afternoon studying for an impending, large Charms test on Tuesday with his roommates then strolled the white grounds with his girlfriend for awhile when finished; by nightfall he was ready for the monthly escapade as an Animagus.

The Marauders left their dormitory some time after 9:30 with Peter being the only one visible as they walked through the common room. (The other two were hidden by the Invisibility Cloak following him).

"Where you going, Pete?" Frank inquired as he passed by, sitting with Alice, Lily and Dorcas. They all looked at him.

"Oh! Uh, t-to the library! I think I left my wand in there, I can't find it," he answered.

"Oh no!" sympathized Alice.

"Yeah… I've been looking all over."

"We can try to summon it." Dorcas offered.

"Oh, that's all right! Er, James and Sirius already tried—no luck!" Peter said.

"Well, I hope you find it. Be careful since it's curfew soon." Frank remarked. The Pettigrew boy nodded fervently.

"Where's, um… where's Mcdonald and Marlene?"

"Mary is going mental over Arithmancy homework, and Marlene should be getting back from seeing Bruce," Lily reported. She then peered at Peter, "Where are Potter and Black?"

"In the room! They're, in the room," he replied. Peter then received a swift jab in the back from Sirius, alerting him to stop chatting and get a move on, "Well, my time's wasting! I'll see you lot later."

Outside the portrait hole moments later, the Black boy had something to comment on.

"Well well! Miss Evans is interested in our whereabouts! And I see Marlene is with Bowyer again—hmph…"

James smirked a bit and appeared like he was going to respond, but in the next instant his face froze with set vigilance.

"Look, look! Down to the right!," the Chaser hissed, referring to the end of the corridor, "What do you see?" The other two became tense as well and gazed in that direction.

"A person?" Peter noted.

"Who?" James posited, sounding terribly aggravated and already aware of the answer.

"Snivellus!" Sirius snapped, barring his teeth. It was indeed Snape, and he had pulled back some behind the wall he was hiding behind when he saw a lone Peter exit the common room. He could not tell if the Gryffindor had spotted him from that distance, but only that he was momentarily immobilized.

"He came to our bleeding _tower_! That arse is here for us!" Sirius growled.

"What should I do?" Peter asked fretfully.

"Just… go to the first floor. Walk like nothing's wrong but be rather fast; we'll lose him for a few moments hopefully and then you can get under the Cloak." James explained.

"Right."

The Marauders set off in the opposite direction with Peter following James' suggestion and Snape perked up, making sure to follow after a couple of seconds. Peter felt slightly nervous but the other two were quite angry, and Sirius grumbled for much of the walk pondering how long "that stupid twat" had been on their floor waiting for them. His best friend answered "probably since dinner had ended" and this only seemed to embitter Sirius even more. When he mentioned Peter confronting Snape, who blanched, James spoke again and stated it was a bad idea that would just make things even more complicated. The Slytherin trailed them as they traveled through the castle leaving ample space so he would not be noticed (although he was unaware it was too late for that) but not so much that he would lose sight of Peter. He felt very satisfied as he pursued Pettigrew—he had waited a substantial amount of time outside of the lions' dwelling for one of them to materialize, being very careful to not be caught by any Gryffindor. When the coward among them stepped out Severus felt justified, grim excitement, for it may have only been one but it was the most oblivious and incompetent of the four; he would most surely lead Snape to the rest. Was tonight finally the night he discovered what the Marauders did every full moon?

As they arrived to the first floor of the building and Snape lost track of Peter for a stint due to the distance between them, the snake took his foot off the last step of the staircase and peered around for the wizard he had been following. Shockingly, he was nowhere in sight. Snape stood there as his eyebrows furrowed and let the disappearance of the Gryffindor settle in his brain, but he felt quite dumbfounded. Where had he gone that quickly?! Pettigrew was not known for being especially fast at anything, except messing up or backing out. The Slytherin began to feel duped and decided to check all of the rooms on the floor to see if the other teenager had gone into one of them—he could not lose him now! As Snape walked off to check the first classroom with gritted teeth, the Marauders, who were closer to the oak doors, stood under the protective sheath and mocked him.

"He's lucky it wasn't me he followed. I probably would've turned around and hexed him to high hell." James attested.

"What are we going to do? Every month he gets closer," Peter prompted, "Next time he'll be hiding under our beds!"

"I know. It's too much now."

"That wanker doesn't know his place," Sirius remarked, glowering, "He came to our dormitories for Merlin's sake! He's crossed the line and I'm dead sick of it."

"We'll think of something, don't worry. We have to," the Potter boy assured. Sirius nodded darkly.

"I want to make him wish he never had the stupidity to _dare_ to follow us in the first place. He will regret it."

Peter looked at Sirius from the power of his words then to James, who had extracted his wand and was preparing to use it on the doors.

"A Silencing Charm, so they don't make noise for Snivelly to hear when we open them," he reported, "Come on—it's time for our engagement with a werewolf, mates."

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A/N: The next chapter is their last at school before the winter holiday. It won't take as long as this chapter took to get up!


	20. The Dark Lord Strikes Again

A/N: I am so sorry for the super late post! I've been struggling with writer's block as of late, which is not good. Ugh...

Thank you to _MaxRideRox _and _Aarg_ for the new reviews: the Snape/Sirius trick with Remus is coming quite soon, ha.

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**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 20**

The night of the full moon had been significantly cold but this did not stop the four animals from having fun roaming the streets of Hogsmeade, in fact more fun than they typically had on other nights such as these. Perhaps they had been more carefree because as humans they knew there was only a week of classes left, they were going to pull off yet another prank, and one of them had an upcoming birthday that would make him of age, but either way it was a great time. When James, Sirius and Peter returned to Hogwarts in the early dawn of Monday they remembered that they had to go up to their dormitory and then go back to the Great Hall with the supplies for the prank, since they had to set it up before breakfast and everyone woke. As such, the three only received about 30 minutes of sleep after finishing up in the dining hall before having to get up to ready for the day. (When Frank was showering in the bathroom the Marauders placed Cheering Charms on themselves to relieve some of their fatigue).

"So what happened to you Peter? By the time I'd gone up to bed you still weren't back," Frank commenced as the five sixth years walked to the Great Hall, "Did you find your wand?"

"Uh, well, y-yeah! Yeah, I found it! In the, uh, er… not in the library." Peter told him, glancing warily at the other two.

"And you James, Sirius—you weren't in the room like Peter said you were."

"We left." James promptly remarked.

"Did I see you come down?" Frank pondered.

"There are other ways Frank. We are _us_ for Merlin's sake."

"Frank, you know the rules—it's better not to question us." Sirius relayed, placing a hand on the Longbottom boy's shoulder as they strolled in the Great Hall. They instantly noticed that their work—a bunch of colored gift boxes with ribbons transformed from toothpicks—was still placed on all four of the tables and the students had observed them with mild pleasure, knowing they were new additions.

"Oh, those are new!," Frank pointed out, "Hagrid must have set them out yesterday…" The other three grinned at one another and nodded in agreement.

As they passed by the Slytherins a loud wolf like call emitted from somewhere among the snakes, followed by laughter. The Gryffindors peered back at them and were laughed at some more with Avery, Rosier and Snape smirking cheerfully at them, the most obvious in the huddle. Frank prodded his irritated roommates to go on and continue to their table, and once seated mentioned how "strange and immature" the Slytherins really were. While _he_ may not have gotten the animal noise reference, the Marauders surely had and it definitely had not pleased them.

"That's it!," Sirius began as he reached roughly for the cream for his coffee and glared at the Slytherins, "I think we should make an immediate change."

"What do you mean?" Peter questioned.

"The prank. We decided it'd be for the whole school but I think Slytherin is begging to be the active participants once again. It started with Snape following us last night, the git!"

"That's perfectly fine with me." James grumbled, glowering at them too.

"But all the gifts are meant to go off." Peter noted, taking some toast.

"Only if we magic them to."

"Yeah, and tonight at dinner those pricks will be the only ones who receive our presents! We'll see who's making wolf calls then…" Sirius stated, sipping coffee.

All of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes had their end of the term tests on Monday as well as the Herbology classes, and Remus' friends knew he would be noticeably upset about missing the exams although he had until Friday to make them up. They did not have time to visit him in the Hospital Wing that day because there were still other tests to study for and essays to finish up, but when he arrived back to Gryffindor Tower an hour before dinner he looked quite well and was received happily by the sixth years. Remus was notified of the change of plans by his partners in crime and he questioned why, feeling like targeting the Slytherins alone was getting very suspicious and would lead administrators to correctly deduce that Gryffindors (namely them) were behind it all. When the other three grimly told him of Snape's actions the previous night and the wolf call at breakfast, the prefect hushed and did not say much else.

Remus saw the "gifts" for the first time when the students went to the hall for dinner and observed that they were nice.

"They won't be so nice when they go off in those prats' faces!" Peter responded giddily.

"You know Remus, the Charms exam is tomorrow. If you want I'll study with you tonight, help you catch up and look at my notes." Mary offered, sitting with the girls some inches down. Before the Lupin boy had time to answer her, Sirius opened his mouth and spoke in his place.

"No thanks Macdonald! That's what he has us for."

"You?" she pondered skeptically.

"Yeah! We study!... when we have to!" James added.

"Hmm. Well since your friends have claimed stake on you, maybe we can get together for History on Wednesday."

"It's a plan," Remus half smiled before she turned back to her dorm mates. Peter looked quickly at the prefect, "And yes Peter, you can join us too."

The Marauders decided to act before the desserts began to appear, which gave them a window of time of about a minute. Like the last prank they kept their wands under the table so as not to be noticed but with two major exceptions: James twirled his casually between his fingers to appear as though he was merely playing with it and Remus was not going to activate the presents and thereby participate this time. He was content with watching but did not possess a desire to take part in this stunt, and his friends did not push him on the subject. When the timing was right, each of the three directed their wands at the snake table and gave a silent spell to commence the prank; seconds later their wands were put away and the decorations on the Slytherins' table had exploded open with a loud bang to reveal the contents inside. The rest of the student population looked over in total shock as it heard the pupils of that House emit shouts and screams—long vines were spilling out of the boxes and ensnaring their arms, hands, legs, feet and chests, though not in a life threatening manner. While most of the Slytherins began to be frozen and held in awkward positions (one boy had his head held down on the surface), the other Houses started to find humor in it as the professors hopped up in morbid surprise.

To make matters worse, or better for the kids watching, small holiday bells were implanted along the vines and were shaking merrily as the plants wrapped around the snakes. The Marauders snorted and grinned into their hands at the ridiculous sight of their rivals as Sprout and Slughorn hurried over to help while McGonagall cried out "not again!" before leaving as well. Dumbledore was the last professor to leave the High Table for the Slytherins' amid the laughter of other Houses and it was very clear from his expression that he was far from pleased or amused. Each teacher took a portion of the Slytherin table and let the students loose from their bonds, and in the matter of a few, long moments the vines lay withered and dead on the table while the snakes rubbed their body parts and appeared upset or angry. Slughorn consoled the younger of his students as Sprout examined the vines and mentally noted they were impressive, but the headmaster turned to the remaining pupils who continued to be entertained.

"While you may have found it humorous, it is now over. Please return to your meals," he announced. The statement did not come out in a mean or cruel tone but it did come out directly, and the young wizards knew at once that Dumbledore was implying they stop laughing and snickering. The noise died away suddenly as the pupils turned to the desserts.

"Happy Christmas to them!" Dorcas muttered, half smirking and glancing at the Marauders along with Mary.

"New holiday decorations. _Right_." Frank said, peering at his roommates and sitting next to Alice. They grinned guiltily but shrugged, and in the following moments noticed that others were gazing at them too. A group of Slytherins glared at them pointedly from the other side of the hall, the sixth years among it, and the headmaster himself looked at them once as he reclaimed his seat at the staff table. The boys' smiles faltered some.

Michelle approached James after dinner was complete and stated that she wanted to spend a little time with him before they had to study for exams, so he suggested they walk to Hagrid's hut for a brief visit. He told his friends he'd be back by eight o'clock and Dorcas uttered to her dorm mates that they were mental for wanting to go walk out in the freezing weather as they ascended the staircase. The Ravenclaw asked her boyfriend if he had been behind the prank that night and he admitted to it, citing that it had originally been for the whole school but the Slytherins had done something last minute to deserve it solely.

"Maybe it's a good thing all the Houses didn't experience it; it wouldn't have been as funny!" she commented after the visit, as they progressed back to the castle hand in hand.

"Yeah. But Remus reckons only targeting Slytherins is going to out us sooner or later. Who else hates them like us?" James remarked.

"True… he's smart. The next time you four pull a prank though, will you let me know in advance?"

"Of course, unless it _is_ school wide. Then you can just assume it's us!"

Michelle smiled and then pointed out:

"I suppose we have to get back to study for the Charms test tomorrow."

"What fun," he exhaled, sounding bored already. A devious grin then quickly appeared on his face, "Here's an idea: let's study together!

"Why not?" the blonde agreed happily.

"We can go to the Room and bring our books, but not do much studying if you know what I mean!"

The Parks girl had to hide a smile as she pursed her lips and put her free hand on her waist for emphasis.

"James—" Michelle commenced.

"Wonderful! You agree. Let's go!" James declared. The captain then gripped her hand and started to run back to the castle dragging her along as she laughed and called his name in earnest protest.

Flitwick administered his exams as promised on Tuesday and many of the elective classes for upper years collected final essays as well, including Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy and Divination. Slughorn had invitation reminders for the students in his Potions courses who also belonged to the Slug Club about his Christmas party on Thursday and apologized for their lateness with the offer that he had had "a healthy array of important tasks to attend to" and the reminders fell to the side.

"We can only bring one person this time?" Sirius asked in surprise, looking at his lavish invitation.

"Really?" James added.

"I heard your brother asking him about that over the weekend, Black." Lily reported, walking by them and having just come from handing in her Sleeping Draught (their last potion of the term).

"Yeah? What'd he say?" Sirius wondered as they both stared at her.

"Basically that this party was more 'esteemed' than the Halloween one and he wanted it to be more intimate so the guests would feel even more 'special' to be there."

"You would think the Minister of Magic was throwing it." James observed, smirking some.

"Walterborne may actually be there. You know Slughorn!" the red head attested, shrugging as she headed for her nearby desk. They chortled a bit.

"Well, it looks like only a part of the Marauders will be there on Thursday," the Potter boy noted, clicking his tongue.

"Yeah. And the question is who am _I _going to bring? It can't be Moony or Wormtail because it wouldn't be fair to the other…" Sirius relayed reflectively, looking unconsciously at Marlene.

McGonagall called the Marauders up to her desk that day in Transfiguration and was wearing a heavy frown when they arrived.

"What's up Professor?" James prompted.

"Is this about the exam on Thursday?" Sirius proposed.

"Is it about you coming to Gryffindor Tower last week?" Peter questioned, sounding a little frantic. His friends all shot him disbelieving glares and the professor furrowed her brow in mistrust as she gazed at him.

"The common room was nearly empty when I arrived. How do you know I was there?" McGonagall craftily wondered.

"The… the kids w-who saw you!... told us," he lamely relayed.

"Uh huh…," she vocalized while they all continued to look at him, "Right. No boys, that is not why I called you up here."

"Is everything all right then, Professor?" Remus posited.

"Well, today, so far, yes. But… yesterday, at dinner, with the Slytherins…"

The four instantly froze inside but remained silent in front of the Animagus. They could _not_ give anything away— they had taught themselves that over the years. They would have to play it cool like they had done in Dumbledore's office.

"What about it?" James tried.

"Do you know anything about the event?" McGonagall asked, the firm frown back in place.

"Should we?" challenged Sirius. Irritation then seeped into her unhappy countenance.

"It was not as funny as people thought. It is not a coincidence the Slytherins are continually the targets."

"So, you think we did it?" Peter pondered sadly. As this, her irritation seemed to disappear and be replaced with weariness.

"Boys, look—you… you have a history, and not a perfect one!," she began, "And I know that doesn't mean you are behind every thing that goes wrong, but sometimes!... I would hope, no—I would _expect_ that you four!..." But McGonagall did not finish her thoughts. Instead, she issued a deep sigh while rubbing her temples and said:

"Nevermind boys. Forgive me. I should not have brought this up, for there is no proof. You may return to your desks."

They peered rather solemnly at one another before turning away and the Animagus had one last statement to impart upon their retreating backs.

"You all are growing up, are nearly adults… and as such I would expect the choices you make have grown up as well. I must remind myself of this, and hope that it is habitually on your minds as well," the professor revealed, "Mr. Lupin, it is why you wear that badge."

When the Marauders sat back down in their seats, Sirius down played a smirk that appeared on his face and chuckled quietly.

"Once again we evade punishment while keeping the credit! We are getting good at perfecting this!" he marveled smugly.

"At keeping a clean trail." Peter added, smiling gladly. McGonagall's words had struck a cord with Remus, however, and he gazed at the two with definite self disappointment and shame evident on his face.

"McGonagall is let down that we keep acting so petty and so child like; she wants us to be mature. And she's right—my behavior makes my prefect status meaningless!" the Lupin boy relayed with heavy guilt in his tone.

"What are you talking about Remus? You weren't even pulling this prank off with us! You're safe!" Sirius attested.

"But I knew about it, Sirius!"

"So? We didn't get caught!"

"Not recently, but we have before! And we probably will again!," Remus responded, "And I've never really put a stop to _any_ of it. I just let it happen, which is no better…"

"Don't start on that again," the Black boy advised, some vexation in his voice. The prefect opened his mouth to answer but James cut across him.

"Mates, cool it. Let it be," he somberly instructed, "Padfoot, Remus is allowed to feel this way; he's always had a bigger conscience than us. Hell, McGonagall's words even stopped and made _me_ think…" Sirius studied the two with incredulity before looking at Peter, then scoffed and shook his head.

"It will be a sad day indeed when the Marauders don't do a prank," he commented.

Tuesday was also the day that Sirius incessantly began discussing his birthday and letting everyone know that it was on Saturday, but they were already aware from all of his previous birthdays. His constant babble about it seemed to be Gryffindor tradition.

"What are you going to do this year Sirius?" Frank questioned.

"I don't know yet, my mates and I still have to work it out, but you'll know by Thursday! We celebrate Friday. I'm turning 17 you know—I'll be an adult," the Black boy explained.

"We know, Sirius." Alice soothed.

"The first in our year for Gryffindor."

"We know. You're _always_ first." Remus affirmed.

"Seventeen. It's going to be brilliant! I can do magic over the holiday now! Adults can do that you know." Sirius continued.

"We _do_ know, actually. Thanks for the reminder." Mary dryly answered.

"I expect gifts by the way, to show your love for me."

"We _know_—you always want gifts." Peter mumbled.

"But honestly, the best gift will be my legality! Merlin, it's going to be amazing. I'm turning 17 you lot!" Sirius remarked.

"Sirius! We KNOW!" Dorcas assured in a loud voice, throwing her hands up. James gave a short laugh and Lily smiled.

By Wednesday, the day of the Potions and other elective exams, everyone's thoughts, whether happy, perturbed, humorous or frantic, were rudely and effectively interrupted by the news of one wizard the Daily Prophet foretold. Voldemort had stricken again by completing another terrorizing act, this time against Ministry officials again, and it put the population of Hogwarts on high, tense alarm like it typically did. Apparently the houses of two Ministry employees had been burned to the ground and reduced to mere ashes the previous night, Dark Marks and all, with one family fortunately not at home during the atrocious act while the other was not as lucky—Madge Tobin's family suffered causalities. Tobin had been forced to watch while three Death Eaters used Unforgivable Curses on her husband and house elf and her home burned in the background, before the two being tortuered were eventually killed and Tobin herself knocked unconscious, left with the warning message to never again go against the Dark Lord. The Prophet did not report where she currently was in order to protect what little well being she had left, but a catatonic, mute Tobin was under the protection of Aurors as her only daughter traveled in from Australia to see her tormented mother. (Walterborne wanted every resource exhausted to try and get his employee to speak so she could help them to possibly identify and incriminate any Death Eaters).

The malevolent information caused the students to worry once more excessively, and it was even more awful because the spirits of the holidays had rather put Voldemort out of their minds. Many of the pupils from well known wizarding families or those with relatives working for the Ministry were extra concerned, and even James morbidly considered if the Potters were in danger. With the new violent deed on their minds, Hogwarts was certainly dismal that day and a portion of the kids even feared leaving the castle's walls for half a month, since it equated to going back into a world that contained _him_.

"Do you think any parents will pull kids out before Saturday?" Sirius dully wondered, staring at his plate where cookies filled with ice cream had been not long ago.

"There's a good chance." Remus replied, appearing somewhat forlorn.

"It'd be stupid, though. This school is always safe." James reasoned.

Peter nodded and then questioned:

"Have you mates talked to Marlene today?"

"Well, as a group, right after we'd found out remember?" the prefect noted.

"Well I heard Alice and Evans talking quietly about her a little before dinner started. Apparently her family knew the Tobins, was pretty close." Peter reported. They all looked down to her and observed that she indeed did look quite sad. Her skin was paler and seemed to be tear stained and there was not a single trace of happiness on her face.

"Poor McKinnon!" James remarked as they gazed at her.

"Do you think I should talk to her later?," Sirius inquired, "I should talk to her later, shouldn't I?"

Before anyone could answer, there was a loud noise as someone cleared a throat and Dumbledore rose from his seat, wearing a solemn yet firm expression. The four Houses were immediately silent but this was unremarkable since there had not been much chatter to begin with.

"It always weighs on my heart when I must address you students due to horrific events like the one we learned of this morning," the headmaster commenced, peering around, "To the ones who are connected to the Tobins and Stools, my deepest empathy and regards goes out to you, your loved ones and clearly theirs. The school seems to routinely take on a despondent atmosphere whenever this wizard is reported as doing something abominable, and I can only imagine what you students talk about or how you feel. With that being said, I will assure you of something that I've mentioned time and time again because I never want you to doubt it: the staff at Hogwarts is dedicated to your education, safety and happiness, and we give everything we possibly have to endure them."

Pupils nodded and some appeared resolute while others conveyed a sad gratitude. Conversely, some of the Slytherins looked wholly unimpressed.

"I know these are turbulent times when frightening things occur. But find hope in the knowledge that you are bright and surrounded by kinsmen who love you, friends and family alike," Dumbledore continued, "The darkness does not last forever, young ones; there is always light to counterbalance and outshine it. Be that light. Stand united."

His face then became a bit more grave as he went on to his next thought.

"With one man being willing to cause all of this destruction and tragedy within our world, we hardly need more. _He_ is the one to oppose, not each other. Well founded rivalries so deemed by a few seem trivial and counterproductive when compared to what is currently happening in the wizarding world. Other Houses, and even those in your own House, are not the enemy. As such I will no longer stand for you students targeting one another, as it fosters unnecessary division; those who ignore this warning will be handled accordingly," he relayed in an expecting voice. Though Dumbledore's eyes roamed the entirety of the Great Hall, the Marauders observed that his gaze shot to them upon his last sentence and felt complete shame and shock course through their bodies.

"But, dinner is essentially done my students. Finish your meals if need be and return to your common rooms, where you will hopefully have lighter thoughts," the headmaster bid, seating himself once again.

"Dumbledore always knows what to say." Lily stated softly.

"I'm very glad he's here." Mary remarked, nodding her head.

"Come on then girls—back to the tower." Dorcas proposed, setting her napkin down.

"Ready Marlene?" Lily posited. The brunette nodded and silently stood up with the other witches while not too far along the table, the Gryffindor sixth year males sat in silence reflecting, not quite ready to depart just yet.

"Must he always drone on whenever the Dark Lord makes Prophet news" Rosier inquired in a bored voice over at the Slytherin table, as they too took their leave.

"Yeah, it's annoyingly old," Mulciber commented, "Besides, can't he see the fun in all of this? I got joy out of knowing their houses burned!"

"And what was with the lecture about us not targeting other Houses?" Gates added.

"Exactly! Now what will we do?"

"I think Dumbledore was referring to the childish pranks pulled on our own House these last few times." Avery remarked.

"Oh… sticking up for us, is he? About damn time." Mulciber noted, peering at the headmaster.

"And we all know who the moronic ones behind them are." Rosier bitterly said, staring at the Marauders with contempt.

"They will get theirs eventually, trust me." Snape assured, following the gaze.

"That they will," Mulciber concurred. Consequently, in the next moment his face shone with eerie happiness and he called to a group of girls passing them by, "Woo hoo! Well, look at this—lovely Gryffindor lionesses!"

The sixth year witches shot them disgusted glares when they noticed who was addressing them and Snape glanced at his roommates with exasperation.

"Were you as glad about the news today as we were?" Rosier asked, smirking. Marlene made a noise in her throat and rushed forward leaving them, and Alice hurriedly followed her footsteps, calling out her name.

"Aaaw, I think we upset McKinnon!" Mulciber stated in a mocking, compassionate voice, "D'you think she knew the families?"

"You have no tact." Mary snapped.

"And you have no right to be here, Muggle!" Gates retorted. Dorcas rapidly withdrew her wand wearing a furious expression and pointed it at him and Mulciber. Lily, however, reacted quickly and put her self in Dorcas' way, guiding her hand towards the stone floor.

"Don't bother Dorcas!" Mary advised, though sounding as if she wanted to see the snakes hexed.

"Lily!" the Chaser protested.

"Try it, Meadowes!" Mulciber challenged, but Snape was in his way as well.

"Like these _witches_ are even worth our time!" Avery drawled. Lily's eyes flashed nastily though she still kept Dorcas at bay.

"You need to keep those _animals _you call mates in check, Snape!" the red head ordered heatedly, positioning her friend to walk away. Snape drew his head back in shock and furrowed his brows. She gave Dorcas a small nudge and the Chaser unwillingly started walking with Mary leading the way. Lily gave them one last glare before the girls disappeared.

"They _are_ fun to mess with." Mulciber chuckled.

"Gryffindor the brave… please!" Rosier scoffed. Severus said nothing but his frown remained in place from what Lily had said.

When three of the Slytherin sixth years entered their dormitory a little later (Rosier and Gates stayed in the common room), they discovered two black owls perched silently on Snape and Mulciber's beds with parchment letter tied to their legs.

"What?..." Avery began as they studied the birds.

"Those are clearly not school owls." Snape mentioned. Mulciber walked over to his four poster and took the envelope from the bird, who stared at him ominously as it let him. His name was written on the front in black cursive and when he turned it over there was a seal that he could feel but not see.

Severus took his own letter after watching Mulciber for a moment and observed that it was identical. Who would be writing to him? Clearly it was not his parents… perhaps an old Slytherin with whom he kept contact? But Lucius typically had the Malfoy crest as his seal and this was not Rookwood's handwriting. Feeling a sudden mixture of curiosity, eagerness and even some unexplainable fear, Snape sliced open his envelope and removed the parchment inside as he started the letter.

_S. Snape—_

_Your actions, personal choices, the company you keep and even your philosophies have been monitored and evaluated at Hogwarts these past few years. You belong to the noble House of Slytherin and hail from the pureblood family of Princes, both of which are in your favor. A very influential wizard is aware of all these things and more, including the fact that your 17__th__ birthday is quickly approaching. As such, this is an exclusive invitation to meet with the great wizard mentioned above on January 1__st__ at 11 PM, location currently unspecified. If you accept you are to send a reply no later than tomorrow evening with the delivery owl, and more information will be sent to you on a later date. You will soon get a chance to show where your allegiances lie, Snape._

There was no indication of who had sent it, but it was perfectly clear to Snape whom the letter was referring to. As he slowly looked up from the parchment, he felt a volatile torrent of deep awe, power and terror, which was the strongest of the emotions. His feelings were so profound that they literally made him feel somewhat sick. Severus peered at Mulciber who had also finished reading—he appeared insanely ecstatic with a grin as he gazed at Snape.

"What does yours say?" he posited instantly. Snape said nothing as he continued to look at his large roommate but walked slowly over to him and held out his letter. Mulciber greedily snatched it up as he threw his own into Snape's hand, and it only took them a moment to recognize it was generally the same message. Avery looked between them with a curious and partially resentful expression.

"This is all I've been waiting for!" Mulciber declared, staring at Snape with the same smile still intact. Again, the half blood could think of nothing to say and merely nodded.

"What's going on?" Avery questioned.

"See for yourself!" Mulciber replied, handing him Snape's parchment.

"We have to reply by tomorrow." Severus finally muttered.

"I'm sending the owl back _now_—I know what my answer is!"

"I think they were, _are_, waiting until we become adults…"

"Then that means Rosier is next in line. Merlin, _finally_! We get to prove our devotion to his cause!," Mulciber gloated, grinning, "Do you think we'll be considered to become Death Eaters?" He asked this with a hopeful awe, and before Snape could respond Avery did.

"I think it's a great possibility. Either way, I reckon you'll be meeting the Dark Lord, in person," he informed, giving the letter back. Snape stared at Gates' bed as he mulled over this intense, powerful revelation.

"What an honor that's going to be." Mulciber happily mumbled, picking his envelope off the ground and tenderly putting the parchment back inside.

"Can you imagine what kind of power you could return to school with?" Avery wondered. This caused Mulciber to laugh gleefully and Snape to think about everyone here at Hogwarts who had ever laughed at or made fun of him, and what he might do in return, especially the Gryffindors and Potter. Knowing this, a small but pleased smile finally emerged on Severus' face.

* * *

On Thursday, the day of Slughorn's Christmas party, it became known that two students (a Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw) had been pulled out of school a few days early, like Remus had predicted. Many of the pupils wanted to forget about the Voldemort news because it was too dark and ruining their holiday spirits and so strived to discuss other topics to put it out of their minds. The Marauders had to finish sorting through Sirius' birthday plans since he was supposed to be celebrating the next day, and he and James had to figure out who he was taking to the party.

"What if we snuck Peter in under your Cloak? Feed him secretly in the corner." Sirius proposed as he sat on top of an armchair in the common room. It was their last free period and they only had two more classes to attend before the day was complete.

"Come off it—Wormtail is completely clumsy and would reveal himself!" James noted.

"True… well, what if you _don't_ take Michelle and we bring him and Moony?"

"I have to bring Michelle!"

"Why?" Sirius pondered.

"Because I'm going out with her!," James half laughed, "_You_ have to find someone. Ask any girl!"

"I don't want a date, or at least not a romantic one. Etherton left some scars I still need to get rid of…"

"So ask a friend. Take one of the girls."

"I could do that," Sirius commented pensively, "Dorcas, or McKinnon… I don't think Frank would be fond of me asking Alice!"

"Yeah, and Evans would be happy to have one of her mates there," the Chaser pointed out.

"I'm sure she would," he smirked, sounding smug. James looked at him with a warning, sharp look.

"So which one are you going to ask?"

"Well, probably Marlene. I reckon it might cheer her up from the news of yesterday." Sirius answered, stretching his arms and running a hand over his hair casually.

"I'm sure it will." James muttered, mirroring the same smirk his best friend had worn moments earlier.

"The only thing I'm not thrilled about are the dress requirements."

"Oy, I know. I never did fancy dress robes."

"I hope whoever I ask isn't upset by the very short notice. You know how girls are about getting ready."

Sirius planned to ask Marlene to the party in their next class together but did not get around to it; in fact, he did not find the time until classes were over and dinner had started. He left his friends to sit at the table by themselves while he sought out the witch and Peter glumly talked about how disappointed he was that he could not attend.

"Do you want me to bring you food back, Pete? Would that ease your mind?" James asked, sounding slightly bored.

"You can always just go to the kitchens, too." Remus pointed out.

"It's not the same. Slughorn's known for having especially good food," the Pettigrew boy observed.

"Peter, it's not the end of the world. You'll live."

This effectively shut him up and made him appear somewhat embarrassed as James smiled.

"Sirius never did decide on what to do for his birthday tomorrow, did he?" the prefect posited.

"Nope," the Potter boy confirmed.

"Mary asked me about it earlier."

"I'll tell him to think about it at Slughorn's. My parents wrote me yesterday and said his gifts got to our manor on Tuesday, so he'll be like a little, black puppy on Saturday."

"Here he comes." Peter remarked, gazing at the entrance. Sirius was indeed walking in but not in his usual, cool, collected manner—he was rushing and did not seem particularly upbeat. He sat down with the lions in a rapid huff and had an offended frown on his face.

"Okay, something happened…" Remus commenced.

"What's up? You okay?" James wondered as Peter studied him with some concern. Sirius did not reply to them and instead looked down to where the witches sat, minus Marlene and Alice.

"Hey, Dorcas!" he called.

"Yeah?" she responded as the three girls gazed back at the boys.

"Slughorn's party is in a few hours. You wanna go?"

"Oh!"

"I know you don't like him but it's free food and usually a good laugh." Sirius relayed.

"Uh… sure, Sirius!" Dorcas said.

"Cool. Meet me in the common room at 7:50." He turned back to his friends and she turned back with hers, with Mary smiling and Lily gladly saying that they'd be together now.

"So things didn't work out with Marlene, I'm assuming." James stated.

"Yeah. Did you find her?" Remus questioned.

"Oh, I found her all right—talking with Bowyer!," Sirius explained in an annoyed voice, "They were all smiles and giggles near the staircase. I don't even think she saw me! I didn't have time for that rubbish so I just decided to ask Dorcas."

"You could've waited. I'm sure she would've said yes still." Peter offered evenly, staring at his friend with a hard expression. Sirius scoffed then uttered:

"I didn't care that much! And don't look at me like that, Pettigrew—I know what you're thinking. You should know I don't have any of those feelings for Meadowes!"

"Yeah…. Sorry," he mumbled apologetically.

"Well, cool! Should be fun tonight with Dorcas." James mentioned.

"Yeah, like _Marlene_ was having fun with Bowyer!"

Remus glanced at him as if thinking "I thought you didn't care that much" but vocalized nothing as he took a bite.

The two Gryffindor girls began to get ready for the Christmas soiree a little after seven o'clock and Dorcas was a little less than pleased to have to dress up for the occasion.

"Oh, it'll be fun! You'll have a good time; I did and that was only a Halloween party. And you get to make yourself up!" Marlene remarked in a dreamy voice as she sat cross legged on her four poster, watching them.

"Sounds like you wish you could go." Mary noted, grinning a bit.

"It would've been nice…" the pureblood admitted, hiding a smile.

"And having to dress up is not my idea of fun!," Dorcas revealed, picking an orange witch's dress out of her trunk and scrutinizing it, "_Quidditch_ is my idea of fun."

"I don't think there's enough room in his office for that." Lily smiled, holding a pastel purple dress up to her body as she surveyed herself in the mirror.

"Oooh, Lily! That's pretty!" Alice commented.

"My mum bought it for me in New Zealand."

"Well it's a great chance to wear it!"

"And Dorcas, you should wear this one! You already know you look great in the color." Mary advised, standing next to her and picking up a scarlet dress.

"Yes, support our House," the Chaser grinned, taking it.

"What are you going to do with your hair?" Marlene wondered.

"I can't do much with mine."

"I'm going to put mine up." Lily noted, preparing to go change into her dress.

"Dorcas, you can curl some of yours—it'd look cute. Oh, let me try it!" Alice informed.

"Er… sure, if you're that keen on it." Dorcas answered, surveying her as if she could not comprehend how styling hair could cause that much excitement. The pureblood grinned and jumped up.

"Lily, are you going to walk with Black, Dorcas and Potter?" Mary asked the bathroom door.

"Well, Marcus said he would meet me at the Fat Lady, so if we're all here at the same time… perhaps. If everyone's all right with it, I suppose," the red head explained.

"Oh, Dorcas—you should ask Sirius if he's decided what to do for his birthday! He mentioned tomorrow but didn't say anything else as of yet." Marlene said.

"Yeah, I'll ask 'im," the Chaser affirmed as Alice commenced working on her hair with a comb and wand.

"Did you get him anything?" Mary smiled.

"Erm, just a card," the brunette shyly grinned, "A gift seems a bit much…"

"Yes, it would have definitely alerted him to the fact that you have an undying love for him!" the Waite girl quipped. The other two girls laughed.

"Then maybe you should watch it, Marlene. Alice may think you want to marry her if you give her a present on _her _birthday!" Lily joked as she walked out of the bathroom with her school clothes in her arms.

"Lily, you look wonderful!" Marlene awed as Mary nodded earnestly.

"Marcus will surely be speechless!" Alice agreed, smiling.

"It'll be a first," the prefect teased, moving to deal with her hair next.

Lily and Dorcas walked down the girls' staircase at about ten minutes until eight o'clock, with the half blood feeling slightly self-conscious and still irked with the requirement to dress up. Nonetheless, she and her roommate were noticeably pretty and had most of the common room's occupants watching them as they moved to the portrait hole, especially the males.

"I think I should wait outside. Marcus may already be there." Lily noted.

"Okay. Oh—there's Sirius now!... where's his other half?" Dorcas uttered as they stared at his approach. He hopped off the last step of the boys' staircase and removed his hands from his pockets, running one over his very well groomed mane of hair. He was dressed in simpler dress robes but they were all black and looked new, pressed and exceptionally sharp. The girls in the room seemed to literally melt as they stared at him and some made obvious sighs of contentment.

"Don't tell him he looks great." Dorcas mumbled, smirking and shaking her head.

"I'm sure he knows it," her roommate half smiled.

"Ladies! My, you two look lovely." Sirius greeted when he finally met them. He then let loose one of his notorious, charming smiles. Many death glares were directed on Dorcas and Lily as his female admirers witnessed the exchange from a distance.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Black." Dorcas replied, grinning some.

"Well thank you, date."

"So where's James?"

"He'll be down in a second. He couldn't find his left shoe, and I didn't tell him I put it under Peter's pillow," Sirius notified. Dorcas smiled, "Evans, you _can't_ be going alone looking like that."

"I'm not. I actually have to go see if—excuse me." Lily said, turning and leaving the common room.

"Hamilton, I'm assuming," he speculated.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"He'd better get a sudden case of Personality if he's gonna walk with us."

"Sirius!," Dorcas gaped, sounding both amused and reprimanding, "Hamilton is a decent bloke! He's actually funny…"

"I'm a Marauder—I _know_ funny." Sirius revealed.

"Very funny Padfoot, hiding my shoe!," James declared as he rushed up to the other two Gryffindors with a miniature scowl on his face, "Very clever, ha ha!"

"Why do you assume it was me?"

"Remus told me."

"You can't keep anything a bloody secret around Lupin! Narc," the Black boy muttered. James then glanced unconsciously at his teammate and realized she was there.

"Oh! Dorcas! Wow…," he started as he observed her atypical scarlet dress and curled hair, "You look nice!"

"Thanks James," Dorcas responded, smiling and looking his attire over. His dress robes were navy blue as well as black and looked as impressive as Sirius', "So do you! Though, your hair still seems to be in fantastic chaos."

"Any other way is unnatural!"

"He did put some stuff in it though. See? It's kind of shining." Sirius commented, touching a stray strand.

"It looks good. Very you," the witch stated, smiling coyly.

"Well we should go. I still have to get Michelle." James alerted.

"But of course," his best friend agreed.

"Oh yes—Parks." Dorcas murmured through a strained smile as they exited the room, to numerous sighs of longing from select witches.

"Heads up mate—Evans looks brilliant when you see her." Sirius quietly warned while they ambled out. James shrugged as if it were not that significant of a statement as the other wizard helped his date out, but when the three immediately saw Lily and Marcus standing and talking a few feet away from the Fat Lady, what he instantly felt upon seeing her was far from ambivalence.

James thought Lily looked so spectacular it should have been a crime, and it was so reminiscent of how he constantly felt about her in the past. The purple dressed looked as though it was floating on and around her, and her attractive red hair was up in a bun with a couple of curled tendrils out for a better look. He stared at her dumbfounded for a moment while she spoke with the Hufflepuff but it was broken by Sirius' words seconds later.

"So he made it! Good for you, Hamilton," he announced, alerting the prefects to their presence.

" 'Lo, everyone," Marcus grinned, looking around at all of them, "Dorcas, you look well."

"Thank you," she answered. Lily nodded in greeting at James before saying:

"I see Potter made it as well."

"Yeah. Er, I found the shoe," James remarked lamely, continuing to gaze at her, "Evans, you are… you look… extremely… well dressed."

Sirius had to stifle a loud snort at his friend's choice of words while Lily gave a small smile and furrowed her brow.

"Uh, thanks, Potter," she lightly chuckled.

"Mind if I tag along for the walk there?" Marcus wondered as he stealthily took Lily's hand gently in his for a moment. James glanced at him and looked over the black and white dress robes he was wearing, deciding they were kind of boring.

"I've got to go get Michelle so I'll just meet you lot there," the captain told them, ruffling his hair without realizing it. The Muggleborn watched him do so, recognizing that she had not seen this of his habit in quite some time.

"We can go with you." Dorcas offered.

"Yeah, we can." Sirius added, not exactly wanting Marcus to be substituted for James.

"No, it's all right. They're in different directions. I'll see you there!" James bid, headed for the Ravenclaw dormitories.

"I assumed he was going with us. I'd rather forgotten about Parks." Lily mentioned. Dorcas smirked.

"Well, Slughorn awaits! Shall we?" Sirius prompted.

* * *

A/N: Okay, they finally go home for sure in the next chapter.


	21. Happy Birthday To Me

A/N: Well readers, I started school again : |

Sigh. Back to the horrible grind of grad school and mountains of work. However, this story will not get thrown to the waste side, trust me. I'll need it to cool off and it's my baby! Ha ha.

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 21**

Severus already had a lot on his mind as he stood in a corner of Slughorn's magically altered office with his Housemates, the only one not in dress robes. He was ruminating over the letter he had received the previous day and had spent all of his time when not at meals or in class in his room, staring at the parchment. Mulciber had stayed true to his word and sent his acceptance back almost immediately, but Snape deliberated overnight and thought about all the possibilities. He had sent his reply right as dinner began that evening and did not regret accepting the ominous invitation; however, he was now going to anxiously await until January 1st came to see what was in store for him. Snape briefly pondered if he should tell his mother about the situation while Rosier, Regulus and Avery (who Rosier had brought) spoke around him about the letter, but the thoughts were wiped from his mind when he saw Lily and her three companions enter the room. He thought she looked amazing and could only gawk.

"They're here then, are they?," Avery mentioned as they took notice as well, "Potter's missing. If we're lucky, he died."

"You can still see Evans' Mud, even through the gloss." Rosier sneered.

"And Hamilton looks like a twit." Regulus attested. Snape said nothing but his gaze did not waver.

The Gryffindors, as it were, noticed the Slytherins too and also had something to say.

"It's kind of disturbing how much your brother looks like you tonight." Dorcas told her date, observing his similar all black dress robes.

"Pssh. That git is lucky enough to have my good facial features!," Sirius responded offhandedly, "But look at Snape—he's wearing his school robes! I don't think he got the memo." She sniggered and a moment later the host of the party had walked up to them with a large beam.

"Hello my dear students and esteemed guests!," Slughorn boomed, "You all look glorious! Mr. Black, very dapper _in _black, and Lily m'dear—you are a true vision!"

"Thank you professor." Lily said, nodding.

"Marcus, always a pleasure to see you! And Ms. Meadowes, a lovely surprise as well! I have not seen you since fifth year Potions. You are Sirius' date, I presume."

"Yes sir." Dorcas affirmed.

"Very well!" Slughorn commented.

"The office looks great, professor." Marcus complimented.

"Why thank you lad! I do try." His office was indeed very festive. Gold lights, green bauble and wreaths, a small tree, colored ornaments and mistletoe were strategically and beautifully placed about the room, with floating trays of decadent food all around. A number of adults were also present, including McGonagall, Flitwick and Aurors.

"Do you have any special guests coming to this party? Like there was for Halloween?" Sirius pondered.

"Of course! I have the editor of the Prophet Richard Clinton and the Head of the Ministry's sports department, Ms. Cobble, set to come. In fact, they are due at any moment!" the teacher relayed.

"Bridgett Cobble?! Wicked!" smiled Dorcas.

"If I may ask, is Mr. Potter coming?"

"He is. He just had to meet his date first." Sirius answered.

"Wonderful," Slughorn remarked, "Well, enjoy yourselves! I will be sure to see you again. And be careful of the mistletoe!"

He winked as he walked away and back in the Slytherins' corner, Snape had averted to glowering at Marcus and resolving to watch his actions in regard to Lily.

James and Michelle appeared to the party shortly thereafter, with the Ravenclaw wearing a flowing pink dress that looked good on her and somewhat reminiscent of a Muggle Barbie doll. Sirius was happy and gleefully pointed out Snape to his best friend, whereas Dorcas had something to say about Michelle herself.

"Pink? She would wear that color!" Dorcas muttered to Lily, making a face.

"I think it's fine…" the prefect replied, secretly surveying the blonde.

"Don't you just love Snivelly's outfit?" Sirius snickered.

"I think that's the only bit of clothing he owns." James offered, smirking as he watched Severus pick a quiche from one of the trays.

Snape felt someone gazing at him and when he looked up it was only to see Potter and Black chuckling while they glanced at him. He worked up an ugly scowl and threw them a hard glare before he stalked off. Those two wastes of life thought they were so much better than everyone else in their inane dress robes!... well, come January first, Snape would not be everyone else, and then they would see.

The Gryffindors and their dates hung in a loose group munching on food and talking until Cobble, Clinton and Dumbledore showed up around 8:30 with a few other adults with official looking robes on. Slughorn hailed them with fervor and made a general introduction before greeting them individually and taking them round two at a time to students. Dorcas and James were eager to meet Bridgett Cobble and so shot off in the crowd to find her without waiting for the professor's introduction.

"They're not excited at all." Marcus grinned to Lily.

"I actually would like to meet Clinton myself," she alerted.

"Well it seems that they've run off together Michelle, so we must form an alliance," Sirius noted, "That is, unless you still hate me for the, you know, Fiona thing." She looked at him.

"I don't hate you, Sirius—I never did," Michelle explained, "I _was_ upset, but I'm not anymore and it's _her_ place to be upset. She'll be fine, though."

"Well that's good, because we'll be seeing a lot of each other since you said yes to that Quidditch freak," he half smiled.

Almost an hour into the party, after the students had met their desired, older guests of Slughorn's, James, Sirius, Dorcas and Michelle were together while Lily and Marcus had branched off by themselves, though often consorted with Melody and her date: the Head Boy. Dorcas partially seemed like she wanted to be there and partially like she did not, occasionally glancing over to her roommate. Snape, meanwhile, had moved so he could keep a discrete eye on Lily and Marcus.

"So what do you think? The current Heads talking to the future Heads?" Dorcas inquired, breaking into the conversation the other three were having. They looked at her then to whom she was referring.

"Hamilton?," James prompted skeptically, "Not Head Boy of _this_ school."

"Yeah. It's going to be Remus. He at least has a life." Sirius added. Michelle smiled as she moved closer to James, who had his arm around her waist.

"You can go over there Dorcas; you seem like you want to be with Lily," the Ravenclaw stated kindly. The Chaser shot her a pointed, direct look.

"I'm fine here, thanks. It was just an observation," she told her shortly. Michelle gave a confused expression and looked up at her boyfriend, but before anyone said anything more a Hufflepuff witch approached them in a blue dress.

"Hi Sirius!" Emma Seigal sang, wearing a flirty grin.

"Emma…" he responded slowly, preparing to brace himself.

"I _knew_ I saw you," James interjected, "Whose date are you?"

"Roger Walberry's. And hello to you too, James! I see _you're_ doing well," she said, glancing at Michelle, "Parks."

"Seigal," the Ravenclaw acknowledged evenly, moving even closer to James. Emma half smirked and then questioned:

"Meadowes, are you in the Slug Club?"

"No." Dorcas attested.

"She's my date." Sirius claimed, throwing a casual arm around her shoulder.

"Is she?" the Hufflepuff uttered, sounding pleasant but her eyes quickly flashing.

"Yep," the Chaser smiled, sounding amused.

"Well! That's… nice! I should probably get back to Roger, though. I hope you lot have a good time, and maybe I'll catch you under the mistletoe later—Sirius."

He raised his eyebrows at her brazen and she turned around and walked off, giving James a quick farewell as she did.

"She is a number, that one!" Sirius exhaled.

"What attracted you to her?" Michelle pondered critically, studying the captain.

"Blonde hair, maybe." Dorcas mumbled, grinning with humor.

"I was only 14! I was distracted by… physical traits." James admitted, shrugging. The Ravenclaw "hmph"ed as Sirius laughed once.

"Make sure she doesn't Stun you under the doorway as you leave the room, Sirius." Dorcas smirked.

The party go-ers dispersed at 10PM to their various locations full of food and a sense of two hours very well spent. James was going to walk Michelle back to her dormitory and Sirius knew it was not going to be just a short walk, so he and Dorcas went solo since Marcus was escorting Lily back and would also have something else in mind. (The Black boy made sure to avoid Emma Seigal and rush out of the room alongside Dorcas before the blonde could hunt him down for a mistletoe kiss). When Snape saw Lily and her date exit the office he felt compelled to hurry after and follow them, but there was a group of others in the way that was also trying to get out. He deduced that there was still one more day at the castle and the train ride home on Saturday left for him to remind Hamilton to watch himself around Lily. When Dorcas and Sirius returned to the common room by themselves a quarter after ten, they were flagged down by their friends sitting in armchairs outside the hearth's circle.

"We should have just walked with him to Ravenclaw Tower." Dorcas stated, peering at the other sixth years who were waving merrily.

"Uh, I think we may have interrupted something if we had!," Sirius told her, "James wouldn't have appreciated it."

"So was it fun?" Frank promptly asked when the two arrived.

"Indeed!"

"Sirius, you look quite handsome." Alice remarked, occupying the same chair as her boyfriend.

"You do." Marlene observed, smiling shyly as she peered at him.

"Thanks loves!" he answered, though gazing primarily at Marlene.

"Y-Yes! Dorcas, you look… great." Peter added.

"Thanks," she exhaled, "But I'm glad I can get out of this dress now!"

"So where are James and Lily?" Remus wondered.

"Are they together?" Mary posited, looking at though she may have stumbled on gold.

"They're with their dates, so you know what that means." Sirius half grinned.

"Anyway," Dorcas commenced, rolling her eyes, "Sirius decided what to do for his birthday. Tell them."

"Oh, yes!" Marlene smiled.

"Right! So I thought it'd be cool to have a tiny, birthday, picnic like thing on top of the Astronomy Tower tomorrow night. Just the people I really like, so only our House and our year," he explained.

"That sounds cool." Frank nodded earnestly.

"And we can shoot off fireworks in honor of how terrific I am!"

Peter, Marlene and Alice all laughed.

"It'll be really cold up there." Mary vocalized.

"You don't have to come Macdonald, if that's a problem for you." Sirius mentioned acutely, looking at her.

"There… there are ways around it! Heating charms. We do it for the matches…" she muttered, sounding a bit humbled and embarrassed.

"Out past curfew, I'm assuming." Remus commented.

"Yes," the Black boy carefully confirmed.

"You're lucky it's for your birthday, so I won't say no to you," the prefect half grinned. Sirius returned the smile.

"Do you ever say no?" he pondered.

"He tries." Peter smirked.

"But it's difficult with mates like you, I reckon." Frank quipped.

Friday brought no true work for the students since the holiday began the following day and they were allowed to bring the first term to an end in a leisurely way. Packing was not much of a task since they would only be gone for two weeks so numerous snow fights and wars were carried out on the grounds as a means of passing the time, in addition to various games being played inside the castle. Sirius' birthday soiree was set for 9 o'clock that night and Lily could not believe that she (and Mary) had been invited to go to the unusually small, intimate event; Black was into crowds and attention and had spent past birthdays celebrating with the entire House, so this was unlike him. She had never wanted to celebrate his prior birthdays with the larger groups so it surprised Lily that she actually had a desire to go, and that she felt comfortable enough to do so. Things were changing so suddenly…

A little after nine PM, the ten Gryffindor sixth years sat atop one of Hogwarts' towers bundled up in extra clothes and with food requested from the kitchens, all of which were Sirius' favorites. There was a big chocolate and strawberry cake that James had especially made and butterbeer was even present compliments of Remus, though he would not say how he obtained them and only wore a smug smirk. They stayed out in the night for two hours enjoying one another's company, eating, taking (about subjects like Apparition lessons were going to be like) and silently being grateful that a wizard named Sirius Black was going to be ringing in another year. His fireworks wish came true when the boys extracted their wands and used charms to perform a three minute show of the loud, colorful entities, but they were silenced since Remus pointed out they _did_ still have to get back to the common room without detection. It was a compromise Sirius was willing to live with.

Early Saturday morning, the Marauders and Frank were jerked out of their peaceful sleeps due to a horrible abomination of noise that unexpectedly went off.

"SEVENTEEN YEARS, SIRIUS BLACK! SEVENTEEN YEARS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ALIVE THANKS TO YOUR FAMILY, THE FAMILY THAT _YOU_ BETRAYED! THE FAMILY THAT YOU SPAT ON THE INSTANCE YOU WERE NAMED A WORTHLESS GRYFFINDOR, AND THE FAMILY WHOSE NOBLE VALUES YOU SAW UNFIT TO UPHOLD! YOU DO NOT DESERVE ANOTHER YEAR OF LIFE! YOU ARE AN UNGRATEFUL CHILD AND INSIGNIFICANT PERSON! AND NOW THAT YOU ARE AN ADULT, WE ARE NO LONGER BOUND TO PROVIDE YOU WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT! YOU ARE NOW CUT OFF IN EVERY WAY IMAGINABLE FROM THE ESTEEMED HOUSE OF BLACK! PROVIDE FOR YOURSELF, YOU INGRATE, AND IF YOU ARE FORTUNATE IN ANY WAY YOU _WON'T_ LIVE TO SEE MANY MORE BIRTHDAYS!"

The Howler exploded in a spectacular display of pieces when Walburga Black had ceased screaming in her trademark voice, and the five inhabitants all sat up erectly in their beds with shocked expressions on their bleary faces.

"Well," Sirius commenced, croaking some from the rawness of his voice, "Happy birthday to me."

The other four stared at him with pity.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry you had to wake up to that." Frank apologized, thinking it would be awful to have predictions of death on one's own birthday.

"Don't be. That was my mother's special way of wishing me a good birthday and letting me know she misses me!" he jested.

"Well, happy birthday Sirius, mate!" James decreed as he made to get out of the four poster.

"Yes, happy birthday adult!" Remus added. Frank smiled.

"Padfoot, you've got presents!" Peter notified happily. Indeed, there was a small pile of parcels waiting on top of his trunk.

The grin Sirius had on widened and he quickly jumped out of bed to inspect the gifts, causing the rest of the boys to do the same.

"One's from Hagrid, the house elves in the kitchens—" he started.

"That'll be food," smiled James.

"Frank, Peter and Remus—thanks you lot—er… the fifth year girls?"

Remus and Frank laughed but Sirius continued on:

"Dorcas, one that doesn't say, and Marlene!"

"That looks like a card," Peter grinned, "Open hers first!" The Black boy obliged and on the front was a majestic, roaring lion that shimmered; when he opened it a realistic roar poured forth from the card.

"Whoa!" Frank uttered as Sirius started to read the message Marlene had written.

"What's she saying?" James asked. His best friend did not respond, and when he had finished reading he closed the card while a tiny smiled played about his lips.

"Hello? What'd she write?" the captain tried again.

"Don't worry over it." Sirius advised.

"Don't worry over it? I want to know why you're grinning!"

"It's nothing!... and it's _my_ card." His dorm mates all opened their mouths to protest his silence but Sirius interjected, chuckling some.

"Moving onto the next gift!" he declared, grabbing the parcel from the fifth year Gryffindors. He ripped off the wrapping and found himself gazing at a box of French cologne. The others all snickered as Sirius quirked his eyebrows.

"How very you, Sirius!" Peter sniggered.

"I'd keep the giggling to a minimum—this might be a perfectly good bottle of cologne!," Sirius told him, sniffing it, "And if not, say hello to _your_ Christmas present, Wormtail!"

"Open this one, lover boy." James remarked smiling, handing him the unmarked gift. The birthday boy took and unwrapped it, revealing a plain white box; when he opened it and saw what was inside, he cried out in alarm and dropped the box, appearing somewhat revolted.

"What is it?!" Frank questioned.

"Good question! What the hell is it?!" Sirius stated, standing next to James. Remus vigilantly bent down to investigate and moved the box to get a better look at "it", which was halfway out on the carpet.

"It looks like… an animal heart?" he reported.

"_What_?" the Potter boy noted.

"Oh, there's a note!," Remus grabbed it and read, "Happy birthday to the wizard who has it all, except a heart. Maybe you can use this one…"

The prefect trailed off and they all studied Sirius, waiting for his reaction.

"Cheers, _Fiona_!" Sirius growled through clenched teeth, getting a gut feeling she had sent it. James shook his head, feeling frustrated.

"Sirius, maybe you should say something to her. That was very unnecessary." Frank observed. Peter nodded.

"What a smashing birthday morning so far!" he wearily sighed.

"Let's… open the rest later! Maybe on the train," Remus suggested, "You can be sure _we_ didn't get you anything like that!"

"Y-Yeah! Let's get ready for breakfast! Once we're done it's off to the Express!" Peter encouraged.

"Sure, all right." Sirius consented in a low voice, shrugging.

The Hogwarts Express was departing at 9 o'clock and most of the students (who wanted breakfast) were in the Great Hall by 7:45 consuming food, since they had to leave the castle at 8:30. Quite a few people wished Sirius a happy birthday during the morning meal, including the girls, and he thanked those he saw who had given him tokens. The fifth year females looked at him longingly when he spoke to them and said it was their pleasure, while his younger brother glowered at him and seemed to be sending him birthday vibes from the Slytherin table.

"So what did your roommates get you?" Dorcas inquired.

"I haven't opened theirs yet, but _James_ is the only one I saw no present from." Sirius relayed, smirking. There was a joking "oooh!".

"First of all, _I _am gift enough!," the captain asserted. Remus snorted, "Secondly, mine is waiting for this twit at home, so he can calm down!"

"He seems pretty needy. Maybe a card would've held him over." Mary joked, her chin resting in her left hand.

"Marlene's was good enough," Sirius commented, looking at her with magnetism in his eyes, "I really liked it."

"Cool. I'm glad," she said as she smiled, hoping profusely that she was not blushing. Alice kept quiet but peered at her friends with a diminutive, sly smile.

At 8:30 exactly the first of the carriages began its journey on the cobblestones to exit the castle's grounds and head for the Hogsmeade train station. Michelle found James as all the students stood waiting to load the vehicles and requested that they sit together on the ride to the Express and he consented, but a moment later he realized the carriages only held four which meant he would be separated from the Marauders.

"You're not sitting with us?," Sirius replied dully, "But you always do, and it's my birthday!"

"I know, but Michelle won't fit," the Chaser implored, "And I'll still be with you mates on the train."

"You'll have to find two more people." Remus notified.

James frowned as he discussed who they could sit with who was amicable enough and in need of another pair, and it so happened that Frank joined them, realized what he was talking about and merrily suggested that he and Alice could sit with them. The Potter boy accepted the offer gladly, and when it came time for the sixth years to board the carriages James and his Ravenclaw girlfriend sat contently with Frank and Alice, while three of the Marauders rode ahead of them, Sirius the owner of a half frown.

Once on the Express with their luggage resting above their heads in the compartment, it was back to the boys once more. Remus had to leave for a short prefect meeting ten minutes after the train left the station but he was back within a quarter of an hour, reporting he would have to patrol the freight in two hours with Lily. Frank was in and out of the Marauder compartment like usual and spent half of his time in the one occupied by the sixth year Gryffindor witches.

"So are you going to confront Fiona about the heart?" Peter pondered tow hours into the ride after Remus had gone to patrol.

"Yeah… I don't know how exactly to go about it, but I feel like hexing her," Sirius affirmed with folded arms. He then looked at his best friend, "You should ask Michelle if she knew anything about it, Prongs." James appeared somewhat surprised from his spot on the opposite bench.

"She… she hasn't mentioned anything about it so far—maybe she didn't know," he began, "But, yeah… I'll ask her. It _is_ her best mate." Sirius nodded appreciatively as their door slid open to reveal Frank and Dorcas.

"Ah, you've brought Dorcas this time!" James stated as their friends walked in. Peter lit up some.

"No one 'brings' me anywhere," she corrected as Frank smiled.

"I brought you to Slughorn's party on Thursday." Sirius relayed, smirking a tad. James grinned as Dorcas sat down on his right.

"I obliged your arse, Black, get it right," the witch commented. There was laughter.

"Oh, Dorcas! Did you hear about what Etherton sent Sirius for his birthday?" Peter posed, seated on the other bench and leaning forward.

"No. Enlighten me!" she directed, looking at the boys.

"A heart." James said, peering at her.

"What?! Merlin!"

"She's lost it." Sirius vocalized.

"I'd say! Was it human?" Dorcas responded, appearing offended.

"No. Remus and I think it's a sheep." Frank reported.

"Mental, huh?" Peter uttered to her.

"Yes, quite. James, you'd better keep an eye on Parks if that's the case," the Meadowes girl advised.

"Michelle is _not_ like that," the captain remarked. His teammate, conversely, did not look convinced.

Dorcas was still with the wizards when Remus returned and Lily popped her head in to be courteous and see what was going on. The red head observed her dorm mate and jokingly noted she was not shocked by her presence to which Dorcas answered she would be back soon enough. Sirius claimed Lily should go fetch the rest of her roommates and return to the compartment so they could have part two of his birthday bash, and she smiled as she exited the room. Another visitor arrived thirty minutes later around noon and this time it was Michelle, though Peter had initially thought it was the lunch trolley and was disappointed upon finding out it was not.

"I did see her though; she's about two cars back," the blonde revealed helpfully when she found this information out, peering at Peter.

"Oh, okay! Thanks," he said as James stood up next to his girlfriend.

"Oh, and happy birthday Sirius—I haven't said it yet to you!" Michelle bid, half smiling.

"Er, thanks Michelle!" he announced, slightly taken aback and looking between the couple.

"So! Do you want to sit, or…" James prompted, dropping his voice some. Dorcas seemed rather unimpressed by the Ravenclaw's presence as she studied them. Michelle shook her head, hiding a smile, and he understood.

"I'll be back later!" the captain told them cheerfully.

"Do you want us to get you food?" Remus posited, wanting to smirk.

"No, I'll get some myself."

"See you." Frank said as the two left the compartment hand in hand.

"Have to get used to James disappearing again since he has a girlfriend; it's been only you for awhile, Frank." Peter explained.

"It's nice to have someone else," the Longbottom boy quipped.

"Too bad it's not Amy again—she didn't ever seem to have him all tied up that often." Sirius mentioned nonchalantly, stretching.

"That's because they were in the same House, so you didn't notice." Remus offered. However, with the way Dorcas rolled her eyes and shook her head to herself, it seemed she agreed with Sirius.

Michelle and James searched for an empty compartment per the witch's suggestion but it was a very difficult task; the only one they found completely deserted was the prefects'.

"Should we go in?" she wondered while they stared inside the dim room.

"Well, we could always go back to those compartments where there were only two kids and force them out," he attested casually.

"No."

"Then this is our option!"

"But… we're not prefects!" Michelle mentioned, gazing around.

"But I _am_ captain, and have the same privileges as prefects, so if you think about it, we're allowed in!" James rationalized, pushing open the door with a grin.

"I suppose…" she smiled as he motioned for her to go inside.

They left the lights off but pulled the shade on the door and cast a quick locking spell, and as Michelle moved to plant the first kiss on his lips, he remembered something.

"Uh, I need to ask you something Michelle." James notified.

"Sure," the blonde consented, shrugging.

"Okay. Well, Sirius got a heart—an animal heart—this morning as a birthday 'gift', and he really believes Fiona sent it."

"A heart?! Oh my—_Fiona_?"

"Yeah. Did she say anything to you about it, or mention a heart or anything?" he inquired, peering at her.

"Well, n-no! That's extreme!..." Michelle admitted, sounding alarmed.

"To be honest, based on the note that came with it, I think she sent it too."

"A heart!...," the Ravenclaw murmured. She then looked up at him, "But, I-I'll ask her about it, James. It's possible, I guess."

"Thanks," the Potter boy acknowledged, "But I didn't mean to ruin our snogging with talks of hearts, so forget it even happened!"

They had been kissing for about five minutes when the handle of the door rattled, and a couple of moments later it was opened completely, causing the two to jump apart and stare at the entry in shock. Lily and Marcus stood there with the Gryffindor holding her wand and gazing back with equal surprise.

"Erm, Michelle! Potter!" the Hufflepuff said, sounding a little shocked.

"Oh!" the Ravenclaw piped, starting to blush. In the next instance the two lions had spoken at the same time as they looked at each other:

"What are you in here?" Lily asked.

"How'd you open the door?" James inquired. Brief silence followed in which he smirked a bit and she appeared expecting.

"Magic, Potter. We used that spell in first year," the red head relayed, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course! I knew that," the captain mumbled. Marcus smiled.

"Well I answered your question so you can return the favor."

"Refresh my memory again, if you please! What was the question?"

"Why you're in here." Marcus stated, sounding amused.

"Oh. Well, forgive me Evans, Hamilton, but I could ask you the same exact thing!" James alerted, evading the inquiry. Michelle began to appear entertained as well.

"We're prefects, and this happens to be our compartment," Lily told him, chuckling with disbelief, "So, seeing as how you are not, can you explain _your_ presence?"

"But of course! This." He pointed to his badge.

"Quidditch?" Marcus pondered.

"Exactly! Captains are kind of like prefects, with the same rights and all that, so I realized I was fine to be in here. Am I right Evans?" smiled James.

"Okay… but _why _did you need to be in here?" Lily questioned.

"Why do you two? Coming to the empty prefects' compartment, alone, when there's no meeting—sounds kind of suggestive!"

Michelle hid her grin behind her hand and Marcus looked rapidly at Lily, who returned the surprised glance before gazing back at her Housemate, who was smirking.

"This isn't about us." Marcus claimed. James shrugged then asserted:

"Look, why don't we just agree that we're both in the prefects' compartment, whatever our reasons! There's no need to hand out any punishments; we'll simply take our leave!"

"Bye!" Michelle piped, smiling as she let a smug James lead her out. They heard her giggle as the couple walked away.

"Why does it always feel like you've come out of a storm when you deal with Potter?" the Hufflepuff pondered.

"Because you have." Lily answered, shaking her head.

James remained with his friends for the rest of the journey and hours later the trip had come to an end, with the train pulling to a stop at King's Cross. Eager and welcoming parents and family members stood on the platform waiting for their children to exit and be embraced, then start their two week vacation.

"You can finally use magic this holiday, Sirius. I know you're gonna love it." Peter remarked as the Marauders gathered their belongings.

"You have no idea," smiled Sirius, "Jamesy will be at my mercy with no way to fight back."

"That's what you think," the captain muttered darkly, peering at his best friend.

"Do you plan on seeing Michelle at all?" Remus asked.

"Uh… I don't think so. It's only two weeks, and you mates are coming over after Christmas. I'll write her, of course."

"And don't forget the gift you'll have to send her!" Sirius reminded, the first one to walk out of the room with his trunk following behind him.

The four boys traveled to the nearest car with doors and had a brief wait while other students exited before them with their own baggage. Conversations and animal noises pervaded the air and as the Gryffindors moved closer to getting out, Sirius spotted someone.

"Hey," he alerted, nudging Peter. They all looked and saw Fiona, Michelle and their roommates on the other side of the car talking.

"I'll be back. Take my trunk out." Sirius commented before he went to approach the Ravenclaws. The other three all stared at him leave.

"Fiona," the Black boy commenced flatly as he stopped in front of them. The girls ceased speaking and peered at him; Michelle had been talking exclusively to her best friend and studied him nervously.

"What?" the brunette responded with a hard look in her eyes.

"The next time you decide to send someone a heart as a present, you should at least have the courage to sign your name. Or maybe you should find better things to do with your life. Have a good holiday."

Sirius then turned around and marched back to his friends, leaving a stunned Fiona and company behind him, who no longer had the stern look in her gaze. Peter and Remus were already off the Express and Sirius grabbed his trunk that sat behind James.

"What'd you say?" the Potter boy asked in a low voice.

"For her to basically get over it," he said with a diminutive smile.

The Marauders saw their families almost instantly and so they gave their goodbyes to one another and the rest of their friends before they went to greet them.

"Bye James, Sirius! Remus, Peter!" Alice hailed as Marlene smiled happily and waved.

"Have a good Christmas!," Sirius replied, "Thanks again Marlene."

"Practice over the holiday Meadowes. Oh, and have a happy Christmas I suppose." James instructed.

"Ha ha!" Dorcas uttered, playfully shoving him before joining the girls. (Mary had already met her strict father so had to give her farewells on board).

"Hey, where's Evans?"

"Mmm… over there." Peter reported after looking around for a bit. James saw her being chatted up by Marcus some feet away near the train, her cat Autumn lazing about in her carrier and flicking her tail. He studied them for a moment before calling out:

"Evans!" She and her partner attuned to his voice.

"Yes?" Lily responded.

"I hope you have a great holiday. Happy Christmas." James wished. The red head did not answer right away and instead gazed at him along with Marcus, but a moment later a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"You too, Potter," the Muggleborn remarked softly.

"Let's get to your parents, mate." Sirius advised, half smiling as James threw her a grin.

As they walked away and Marcus and Lily watched them go, Lily realized this was the first time she had ever truly meant well wishes for James Potter. On the other hand, Marcus, who witnessed James look back at Lily one last time, came to the sudden understanding that the Gryffindor captain still held his old feelings for Lily, girlfriend or no girlfriend. This did nothing to make him happy.

Vivienne Potter lovingly embraced her two sons when they approached and after they had taken their leave of Peter and Remus, with Mr. Potter waving at the other two Marauders.

"Boys, I'm so glad to see you!" Vivienne told them as she kissed Sirius' cheek and hugged James.

"You too Mum." James said, returning the hug.

"Happy birthday Sirius!" Harold declared, gripping his shoulder.

"Thanks! Are the presents waiting in my room?" the Black boy questioned. Mr. Potter chuckled.

"Oh, I can't believe you're 17! Where have the years gone?" Mrs. Potter vocalized while James accepted a brief hug from his father.

"I'm very hungry. Will you feed us when we get home?" the captain commented.

"Of course dear! All of Sirius' favorites."

"Brilliant." Sirius grinned.

"Um, excuse me," someone interjected. The party of four then saw a second year Slytherin observing them curiously with a piece of parchment in her hand.

"Hello." James greeted.

"This is for Sirius Black," she relayed, holding out the folded parchment.

"Uh, thanks," he noted, taking it. The 12 year old nodded once before turning around and hurrying off. Sirius opened the paper with James peering over his shoulder and saw a three word message written on it:

_Happy birthday… prat._

Sirius immediately looked up and his eyes searched the platform as James furrowed his brow.

"Why do you keep getting anonymous letters?" he wondered.

"This is Regulus' writing," his best friend reported, still searching.

"Oh!"

Seconds later Sirius saw his younger brother being cooed over by Walburga while Orion stood with his unique smile on, and they were accompanied by Narcissa and his most hated cousin Bellatrix. Sirius' gaze became hardened as he studied his family.

"_They're_ here." James grumbled, seeing the Blacks as well.

"Who is, love?" Vivienne asked, looking as well.

"_Oh_." Harold uttered, glowering at Sirius' family.

"Do you… want to say something?" James posited carefully, thinking of the nasty Howler.

"Nope," Sirius began, "I don't fancy going to Azkaban my first day as an adult."

"Let's go home then." Harold smiled.

As James told his parents about Michelle and how they had to find her so she could meet them and he could say goodbye, Sirius looked at his brother's message once more and smiled to himself. Despite all the animosity he knew that Regulus had actually meant to wish him a decent birthday, and that was a gift within itself.

"Look at him, walking off with those blood traitors as if he did not carry our surname!" Orion growled, having spotted Sirius walking away with the Potters.

"Rotten seed!" Walburga sniffed, hugging her younger son closer for comfort.

"He will not last long, Aunt Walburga. Not with the company he keeps." Bellatrix assured, smirking at Narcissa. Regulus did not say a word as he glanced at his family, before watching his brother depart with his adopted family.

* * *

The Potters had Sirius' traditional, brand new, coming-of-age watch waiting for him on his pillow when they returned to the manor, along with the rest of his presents that he gratefully tore into (including James'). Afterward the four happily ate his birthday feast as a unit, during which his watch sat on his wrist, and thus was the start of a good winter break.

James and Sirius went into Diagon Alley two days later so the former could buy Christmas gifts for Michelle, his parents and a handful of their sixth year friends, and they noticed the shopping center was more deserted than usual; they deduced the fear of Voldemort had something to do with it. Two days before Christmas, the boys went with Harold to the Ministry to get out of the house and to hopefully be privy to any important information their father received, but they found that while they were greeted warmly they often had to wait outside of offices instead of being let in with Mr. Potter.

"If this is about us being young, _I_ am an adult." Sirius noted at one point.

"One who can stop bringing it up." James retorted.

"I'm still surprised your dad gets to meet with everyone who tells him everything. He hasn't been an official for decades."

"He was really influential."

"Obviously," agreed Sirius, "I just can't wait until he takes us to the Law Department to meet Mad Eye Moody!"

"Yeah, that'll be wicked." James grinned.

Christmas finally arrived and it was a pleasant one, with the countryside covered in white. Sirius was smug about getting more presents in such close proximity to his birthday, although he had significantly less than his best friend because of this reason too. James enjoyed his gifts from the Marauders, which was a book featuring every spectacular or illegal professional Quidditch move, Dorcas, who gave him a personalized Quaffle, and Michelle, who sent him a nice set of Gryffindor themed gloves and a scarf, but the gift he loved the most was four tickets to the Falcons game on the 29th from his parents. Apart from the deluxe box set of novelties from Zonko's that Sirius gave him, the Black boy also felt the need to throw playful jinxes and hexes at James who could not retaliate with magic of his own, so had to resort to having his mother place a protective charm on him. His helplessness kept Sirius laughing but James promised he would return the favor, and even threatened to not let him have a Falcons ticket if he kept it up. Peter and Remus came to the Potters' residence on the 27th to stay until the start of term and they were very excited, to be going to the Quidditch match and to merely be with their good friends once more. The house was indeed more vivacious with all four present and Vivienne found herself preparing more food more often, but all were in a excellent mood.

To her mild surprise, Lily found that her own winter vacation was going in a smooth and pleasant direction, primarily because there was hardly any stiffness or hostility radiating from her older sister which she definitely noticed. In fact, Petunia seemed to be quite happy, as if she was living in a blissful dream, and she would often speak cheerfully with her mother, which was not too characteristic of her. One day after Christmas Mrs. Evans found Lily in her bedroom tinkering with a gift from Marlene, and wanted to speak with her.

"Lily, have you noticed that Petunia has been very… positive, since you both have been home from school?" Janice inquired, sitting at her daughter's desk.

"How could I not have," the red head smiled, "It's not really like her."

"Well, it _is_ a nice side of her."

"Oh, I'm not complaining!"

"Indeed," Mrs. Evans smiled, "But anyway dear, there is a reason for her attitude."

"Oh?" Lily replied, appearing interested.

"Yes… I know she hasn't told you—she hasn't exactly figured out a way to, er, tell you."

"Does Dad know?"

"Yes." Janice replied.

"Well what is it?" Lily inquired.

"Sweetheart, your sister has been so happy lately because… Petunia has a boyfriend."

"_What_?" the witch exclaimed, gawking.

"She met him at the university, about two months ago," Mrs. Evans elaborated, "She really likes him, it appears."

"Is he a students as well?"

"Well, no—he's a bit older. She met him at a café."

"Wow." Lily muttered, thinking her sister never had a boyfriend before.

"That's not all dear," Janice prompted a tad cautiously, "He is, her boyfriend that is, um… coming to dinner, to meet the family."

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!," the red head half shouted, "And no one told me?!"

"Oh Lily, I'm sorry! Petunia didn't want to tell you at all but I had to put my foot down! I know it's short notice and I apologize for that, but just be your lovely self and I'm sure he will like you. It will be pleasant." Mrs. Evans explained. Lily did not respond as she peered murkily at her mother, having doubts about what she had just said and feeling resentful Petunia had wanted to tell her absolutely nothing.

"What's his name even?" the teenager exhaled.

"Vernon, Dursley. I'm sure he's delightful."

* * *

A/N: So, the introduction of Vernon next chapter, mwa ha ha! I'm very excited about the stage I'm at in the story and feel antsy when I can't write it due to other obligations, ha. That's a good thing!


	22. A Place in the Circle

A/N: It has been awhile, has it not? An entire month since I last posted? Man! School is in full swing unfortunately, _and _I started internship this year **:/ **

But! I have been writing still, so I have not forgotten about this fic dear readers. I can't—I love creating it! And I promise the next chapter won't take another month to get up.

Thank you to _AmazingxGracie_—I'm glad you're impressed.

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 22**

Lily did not think dinner, or Petunia's boyfriend for that matter, was delightful. By the end of the meal she felt affronted, a bit assaulted and as though she never wanted to spend that much time with Vernon Dursley ever again, so help her. Petunia wavered in between acting like a love sick school girl when swooning over her new beau to being her old, snippy self when addressing Lily. However, the Muggleborn knew why her sister was being so forceful with her and would often keep the conversation off or away from Lily—she did not want Vernon to catch the slightest hint that her sister was an abnormal witch.

He came over to the Evans' household at 7:30 exactly and was first greeted merrily by Petunia, who wore a lime green, frilly dress, before meeting Mr. and Mrs. Evans.

"Vernon, pleased to meet you." Oliver remarked, shaking his hand firmly and looking him over.

"You as well Mr. Evans!," the young man boomed, "Your home is splendid! As is your daughter, and wife! Hello Mrs. Evans."

"Hello, dear." Janice answered, letting him kiss her hand a little too roughly. Lily quirked her eyebrows with her arms behind her back; she had refused to wear a dress for this occasion and so appeased her demanding sister by wearing a black skirt and a nice, yellow blouse.

"Was the drive here pleasant enough, Vernon?" Oliver pondered.

"Oh it was a breeze! Not too cold, considering the season," he responded.

"Can we go in the kitchen to start dinner?" Petunia posited, an arm hooked in her boyfriend's.

"Uh, Petunia darling? Aren't you forgetting something?" Janice asked, glancing at Lily with crossed arms. The blonde pursed her lips.

"Yes…," she commenced flatly, gazing at the red head, "Vernon, this is my younger sister Lily. I've mentioned her before."

"Ah yes. How do you do?" Vernon said, nodding at her.

"Fine, thank you," the witch stated.

"That's great. You seem to be in good spirits to have that condition."

"What condition?" Oliver furrowed his brows as Janice looked confused.

"Um, let's go into the kitchen, shall we?!" Petunia interjected, herding the guest into the room. Her family followed after a moment and Lily knew that it was going to be an uncomfortable meal.

Vernon dominated much of the conversation and would give lengthy answers to the questions Mr. and Mrs. Evans asked, while all the while Petunia nodded in agreement and swooned silently over him. Lily noticed that he spoke in an unnecessarily loud voice and seemed to unconsciously inhale his food, of which he ate a lot. She was bored with his talks of how he was studying business in his last year at university, was "the top" of his class, planned to go into drilling when he finished (because he was "savvy" about "things like this"), and how he had gotten a new, high class car a week ago. Lily ignored him for the most part and daydreamt, but after an hour of the man droning on about himself, he turned his focus to Lily and things got tense.

"So, Lily—where do you go to school? Petunia said it was a boarding school but nothing else." Vernon inquired as Janice set a bowl of ice cream and sponge cake in front of him. All of the Evanses appeared as if they had been stunned as they stared at Lily.

"Oh. Er…," she began suddenly, taken aback herself, "I… I go to a boarding school—"

"Named St. Paul's! It's a school for intellectually gifted children." Janice finished, smiling nervously.

"I see! I've never heard of it." Vernon attested.

"It's small, private—in northern England!" Oliver lied.

"Yes. I'm in my second to last year." Lily affirmed. Petunia nodded vigorously.

"Congratulations. Do you have plans for uni when you're done?" Vernon wondered.

"No," his girlfriend altered straight away, glancing at her sister, "She… said it wasn't for people like her."

Lily glared at Petunia as Oliver shook his head.

"Well it surely isn't for everyone, but it's odd you don't want to go since you're gifted…. What do you plan to do with your life, then?"

"I'm… still deciding, I suppose! Getting life experience." Lily told him, throwing her hands up.

"Interesting," he uttered, looking at the red head dubiously.

"Lily doesn't want to answer any more questions, love! She doesn't like talking much." Petunia noted, touching his arm.

"I see. A part of her condition, I suppose?" The witch peered at her mother with a stern, fed up look, who appeared remorseful.

"Let's eat dessert before it melts!," Oliver suggested, cutting in, "It looks delicious, no?"

"Very!" Vernon declared, picking up his spoon.

"My condition!..." Lily grumbled to herself, frowning at her bowl. Petunia shot her a look.

Vernon Dursley took his leave about half an hour later, something Lily was very glad to witness.

"You, er, take care, Lily," he bid after saying farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Evans.

"Thank you," she said out of obligation.

"You should probably take a lesson out of your sister's book about school, get some ambition. It seems your gift may be going to waste."

"I'll walk you outside, Vernon!" Petunia rushed to say as Lily's mouth dropped open from shock. Oliver himself appeared scandalized as the blonde opened the door and the couple exited, with Vernon giving her parents one last smile before they disappeared into the night.

"Lily—" Janice started earnestly.

"You don't have to say anything, Mum. Petunia should hear it all," the red head assured, lucidly angry.

When she returned a few minutes later her family was all waiting in the living room, and looked upset.

"So what do you think of him?" Petunia asked excitedly from the entry, not sensing their moods.

"He's very… sure of himself." Mrs. Evans claimed.

"Petunia, don't you think he came off as rude sometimes when he spoke to Lily?" Mr. Evans asked, sitting. She gazed at him strangely.

"What do you mean?" the blonde responded.

"He was rude because of what _you_ told him!," Lily asserted, staring at her sister, "Why do you always treat me like that, make it seem as though I'm mental!"

"Did you want me to tell him what you really are, so soon? No one knows how to handle that weird information! Saying it makes _me_ and the entire family look like—"

"Like what? Freaks?"

"Petunia, if you keep him around and truly come to like him enough, you will _have_ to tell him that Lily's a witch! There is no way around it." Janice lectured.

"He would also do better to speak more kindly to her." Oliver commented. Petunia let out a short, frustrated yell as she stomped her foot and then replied:

"Why does this have to happen to me?! Why does it have to be in _my_ family? It ruins everything!"

"Oh yes, life is _so_ hard on you Petunia! How unfair!," Lily remarked sarcastically, "And to answer your question, he's a pompous oaf. Congratulations! But I really shouldn't say too much more because I don't think my condition will allow it!" She then left the room (having to walk by her outraged sister) and went up the stairs to her bedroom, intent on writing to a few of her friends about the nightmare.

"Don't worry about Vernon coming back this holiday, since he treated Princess Lily _so_ terribly!" Petunia announced with the beginnings of tears, before running out to her own bedroom.

"Can they ever be happy at the same time?" Oliver sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Not if they're in the same space, it seems," his wife answered.

January first approached more rapidly than Snape ever thought it could have or even wished for, and at 10:50 PM he walked out of his tattered house with his father demanding to know where he was going, though not bothering to respond, in order to get to the designated portkey waiting for him. Christmas had been drab for Severus as he had spent most of the dreary day wandering outside in the cold while other happy families were inside ripping open gifts and eating feasts; the only present he had received had been another anonymous letter instructing him about the portkey on the night of January first. (He had slightly hoped Lily would send him something, anything for Christmas but it had clearly not come to pass).

Snape walked five minutes east and further away from Tobias' yelling where the broken mug would be waiting to take him wherever it was meant to. He had only heard from Mulciber once since leaving school and that was on the 26th, his roommate's birthday, and Mulciber had written to gloat about being 17 and to discuss the promise of the first day of the first month. Snape assumed he would be seeing him tonight…. The Slytherin soon came upon the dirty, broken mug partly obscured by a patch of grass and he stopped in front of it. He exhaled as he stared straight ahead and mentally prepared himself to pick it up and be transported to the experience of his life—he knew it was going to be the most intense event in his life to date. Severus shook his head, thought of the opportunities this could bring and then grasped the portkey with a resolute countenance.

Snape landed shakily in front of a door to a large house that had a snake serving as its peephole. He looked around at his surroundings while his heart went back to normal rate from the ride and discovered there was absolutely no light coming from any source in or around the residence except from the moon. It was notably dark and a large, crooked tree loomed to the teenager's right; from what he could make of the house, it was rather old and had two stories. Snape was not wholly sure if he was supposed to wait for someone outside but thought it was a bit senseless in addition to realizing how cold it was out, and so pushed the door open as he pulled his shabby coat closer.

He stepped into a big, dark, deserted sitting room and left the door slightly ajar so a bit of light could seep inside. His nose scrunched up from the smell of dust, neglect and mold but in the next instance a harsh voice had issued from his left, causing him to freeze.

"Who's there?" it commanded. Severus slowly began to relax as he processed the voice, registering that it was a familiar one.

"Mulciber?," he answered, squinting in the darkness, "Walton?" A beam of light then shot into his face and he closed his eyes from the suddenness of it, having not expected it.

"Snape!" Mulciber exclaimed, pointing his lit wand at the new arrival and walking forward. He lowered it to the floor when he was close enough.

"How long have you been here?" Snape inquired, peering at him.

"Five minutes. You're the first person I've seen so far."

"Have you been anywhere else in the house?"

"Just the kitchen, which is to the left. But I just felt like I should wait in here, near the door." Mulciber reported, looking over his shoulder. Snape then noticed the shining, gold watch on his roommate's wrist, compliments of his birthday surely.

"Are you… nervous?" Severus wondered. The other Slytherin gave him a very doubtful look.

"Of course not," he claimed. But even so, Snape could feel that he indeed was. Before another word could be said between them, two bright jets of orange shot at them from straight ahead and hit them keenly in their chests, rendering them unconscious and knocking them flat on their backs.

When Snape finally came back around an unspecified amount of time later, it was to find that he was lying on the floor in a totally different room and was without Mulciber—his peer was nowhere in sight. He tried to shake the feeling of having been hit by a car as he sat up shakily, and when he was erect he saw that there was a circle of people around him simply watching, and he froze once more. They were Death Eaters, adorned in their black robes with the signature masks covering their personal identities, and Snape could tell they were starting at him. It was an intimidating sight to behold.

"Stand," one commanded.

The teenager felt his nerves go into overdrive as he started to hoist himself up into a standing position from the dusty floor. Two figures from the back of the group behind him then came forward and took stiff hold of his shoulders, one on each side. He glanced at them hurriedly with fear and received relieved shock to see that Rookwood stood on his left and Malfoy on his right. (They had lifted their masks some).

"It's about time, Snape." Rookwood mumbled, grinning very faintly.

"You'll be fine Severus. Just remember yourself." Lucius advised, not looking at the boy. The student nodded weakly, wondering what to possibly expect next.

The answer was the Dark Lord himself.

"Severus Snape." Voldemort said in a low, enticing voice, coming to the forefront of the room as if he had appeared out of thin air. Rookwood and Malfoy covered their faces once more at the sound of his voice. He was dressed in black robes like his followers though wore a hood, and a scary smile illuminated his disfigured features. Snape felt great terror coarse through his veins as he gaped at the wizard before him and knew he must have been dreadfully pale, but he also felt much awe.

"I am pleased you accepted our invitation here tonight Mr. Snape, you and Walton. It is a pleasure." Riddle stated. At the mention of Mulciber he quickly pondered where the other boy was, but he did not focus on this for too long.

"Your friend is intact, no need to worry," Voldemort continued, still smiling. Snape drew his head back in surprise and the older wizard hissed out a laugh, "Yes, Severus—I am a dignified Legilimens. Perhaps, if you prove yourself, you will find yourself fortunate enough to learn the same skills. Now, to get down to business and why I asked for your presence here tonight."

The Dark Lord's smile lost some of its humor and turned more into a dark grimace.

"I have my own insight into Hogwarts, whether precious Albus Dumbledore knows it or not, especially regarding my former House. I know a great deal about the students and I have been watching a number of you for a sufficient amount of time, and I am both content and displeased by what I know. You Snape, however, appear to embody traits that I deem desirable in a true wizard and it is why you are in this room at this exact moment. I am going to test you tonight, Severus, and if your strength holds up and carries you through the pleasant events, then I may have a place for you in this circle."

Snape peered around in mild fright at the Death Eaters, who had muttered and chuckled to themselves at his impending trials.

"Leave him." Voldemort instructed in a steely tone. Lucius and Rookwood fell away from him and blended into the wall of their cohorts, which made Snape feel completely alone as he stared at the man behind all of this.

"Are you ready Snape? There is no going back from this point on." Riddle warned, showing a grisly expression for a moment as he gazed at the teenager. Severus had never felt so terrified in his life, but he surmised that fear was a typical part of this entire experience.

He gave one nod as his body trembled and Voldemort smiled silently.

"Then let us begin," he commented, withdrawing his wand delicately, "First lesson—the Unforgivable Curses!"

Voldemort's wand pointed at Snape.

* * *

The two weeks of the winter break resolved quickly and the pupils of Hogwarts were back on Platform Nine ¾ boarding the Express for the start of the second term before they knew it. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were sad to see their troupe leaving for school once more as was Oliver and Janice with their own daughter, who they saw off without Petunia, as was custom. Eileen Prince-Snape also seemed a tad more motherly when dropping Severus off, for she had observed some kind of change in her son earlier in the month that had evoked an odd confidence in him and expectation of respect; whatever it was, it sat well with her. After escaping hugs, kisses and well wishes from parents, the students settled on the train and happily socialized with their friends as they began their trip to the castle.

"So this one was when Sirius didn't agree with the foul the ref called against the Falcons and nearly fell out the box." James relayed, handing the picture to Frank. Dorcas, Marlene and Alice huddled around his shoulders to peer at the photograph: James and Peter looked upset and were shouting but Sirius appeared ten times angrier, throwing his arms about as he yelled at the referee on the edge of the sky box. In the next instance he lost balance and pitched forward but picture James shot up to him and grabbed his shirt. The sixth years laughed at it.

"Got a little excited there, Sirius." Frank grinned.

"It was a terrible call," the Black boy commented, "It would have been a justifiable death."

"This one was when a Quaffle practically took Peter's head off." James narrated, holding it out.

"What fun _that_ was!" Peter grumbled. The photo showed the red ball zooming into the box at a rapid speed and James & Remus jumping out of its painful path, but Peter remained in his seat and ducked in the nick of time as the Quaffle pelted on the spot above him. His eyes were wide with fear.

"Did you keep the ball?" Dorcas asked.

"Nah, they wanted it back," James clarified, "I would've otherwise."

"Oh, here's one of Jamesy that's decent!," Sirius remarked, taking the stack from his best friend, "He almost got in a fight with one of the Catapults. It was glorious."

"_What?_" Alice questioned as they all laughed heartily.

"He told me to amplify his voice so he could heckle Franco. I obliged him like a best friend should and Franco did not seem to appreciate the comments."

Dorcas quickly took the photo and they all peered at it. A man on a broom from the opposing Quidditch team and was dangerously close to the sky box and wearing a nasty expression on his face as he exchanged words with a riled up James, who was being kept at bay by an exasperated Remus talking to both wizards.

"It was far from funny." Remus notified.

"You're right Moony—it was hilarious." Sirius attested.

"How did it end?!" Marlene posited as Dorcas grinned.

"With Franco almost getting kicked out of the match and us out of the stadium. James got a big warning." Peter informed.

"That git wouldn't know Quidditch if it hit him in the head!" James asserted over more laughter.

"That is priceless!" Frank noted.

"At least you attempted to keep the peace, Remus." Alice smiled.

"Someone had to. Padfoot was too busy enjoying it," the Lupin boy replied.

"Ah, it looks like it was so fun," Dorcas said as she looked at another picture, "You lot were in a box and everything!"

"Mum and Dad go all the way." James mentioned.

"It was really excellent, though. It didn't snow once." Sirius added.

"Yeah, pretty wicked." Peter affirmed.

The door to the compartment was already open so Lily simply walked inside from the hallway and called Remus' name.

"It's that time for the prefect meeting again!" she alerted, pretending as though they were both dying to go. She had already greeted everyone present before the Express had begun moving and she had just come from the girls' compartment where Mary now sat alone. (They had chosen to stay behind so they would actually have a compartment to claim when the other witches returned from the boys').

"All right." Remus exhaled.

"We should get back to Mary before other kids try to sit with her." Marlene vocalized. Alice nodded.

"We'll bring your pictures back; we need to see the rest!" Dorcas told them.

"That's fine." Sirius lazily consented as he finally sat down.

"Lily, you _have_ to see these—they'll make your day!"

"Yes, see James willingly almost fight a professional Quidditch player!" Remus uttered as he and the girls went for the door. The red head looked at the captain with gentle shock and amusement while he shrugged with a grin.

"It was a spirited match, Evans!" James promised.

"Obviously," she smirked.

"Falmouth Falcons all the way!" Sirius hailed as the group of five exited the room.

"My team is the Magpies." Frank casually said.

"We're aware. We try to forget." James retorted.

Remus and Lily ran into a group of Hufflepuffs not very far along their path to the prefects' carriage and it happened to include many of the House's sixth years. The red head had been halfway through her story about the abysmal dinner with Vernon Dursley when the two met them and Marcus greeted her happily.

"Lily! I didn't see you on the platform!," Marcus greeted, giving her a tight hug and kissing her forehead as his Housemates talked around them, "How are you?"

"I'm good," she smiled, "I'm glad to see you!"

"Though, you lot _are_ blocking the corridor some." Remus quipped.

"Ha," the blond grinned wryly at the joke, "All right Remus? Have a good holiday?"

"Yeah, it was brilliant! You?"

"The same, thanks."

"We're going to the meeting—do you want to join us?" Lily proposed.

"Yeah, I was about to head over there!" Marcus remarked. As he gave a quick goodbye to his Housemates, another Hufflepuff in the troupe noticed Remus.

"Hello Remus!" Abigail Holland smiled brightly, stepping away from her dorm mates.

"Abby, hi!" he answered, a bit surprised.

"How have you been? We haven't really spoken since that time in Hogsmeade!"

"I've been, great! And yeah, we haven't."

"We should change that, don't you think?" she questioned.

"Uh, y-yeah! Definitely," Remus replied. Lily then called his name, making him aware they were moving, "But I've got to get to the prefect meeting now. I'll see you later?"

Abigail nodded as one of her friends, Gloria, the badger sixth year female prefect, broke free to join the other three prefects on their walk. Remus smiled diminutively to himself as he turned around and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Just as the Marauders had shared their Quidditch pictures with their fellow Gryffindors, Mulciber and Snape were also sharing something with the other Slytherins. They had locked their compartment door and pulled the shade, basking in the dim light from the walls' lamps. All five sixth year boys were present and they were standing, creating a small circle as they peered intently at two forearms.

"I really can't believe it," Solomon Gates awed as he stared at Snape's pallid arm, "You two, people I know!"

"They look so… intense!" Rosier marveled, eyes glued on the fresh, black Dark Marks that were imprinted on the teenager's skin.

"It _was_ intense, and worth everything!" Mulciber notified.

"You two proved worthy. That's amazing." Avery murmured.

"Tell us how it was! What did you have to do?" Gates demanded as his hand reached out to touch the mark. Mulciber yanked his arm away as he gave Gates a snarling expression.

"What are you, mental?," he snapped, "We can't tell you anything, and what makes you think you deserve to know?"

"We went through a lot, and that's enough." Snape added shortly. Gates glared at them while Rosier nodded in agreement.

"My dad was there and he told me practically nothing. He just said he hopes the day will come soon when I go through it, to uphold our family's beliefs," the prefect reported.

"I know how Dark Marks function. Are you expected to… to _go_ when he uses it to summon all Death Eaters?" Avery inquired, looking between the pair.

"Well… he said that it's obvious we're still in school, and don't know how to Apparate properly yet," Snape began, "But, once we learn… yes, he expects us to answer his call like everyone else."

"How perfect is it that we learn Apparition this term?" Mulciber grinned. There was momentary silence before Rosier commented with a faint smile:

"Two Death Eaters, right under Dumbledore's ugly nose."

Snape glanced at the blond, cradling his arm.

"It's wonderful isn't it? And the beginning of more, I reckon." Mulciber responded. A sharp knock then resounded on the compartment door and the Slytherins instantly tensed.

"Who is it?" Avery boomed with authority.

"Regulus," came the haughty reply. They peered at one another.

"What do you want, Black?" Gates asked.

"To stand outside in the corridor all day," the 14 year old sarcastically uttered. Mulciber's face became irritated at this.

"Go away, back to your own compartment! We don't want company." Snape ordered. There was a long pause in which Regulus remained silent, but then he told them in a slightly quieter voice:

"Do you forget which family I belong to? I hear things, _know_ things—and I know what happened. Let me in; I'm curious."

The five boys gazed at each other once more at these last words and they knew Regulus was, unfortunately, right—he was a Black, after all, and had direct connections. Even so, it was with an unwilling attitude that Gates moved to let him in.

Michelle left her friends after the train had been on its course for over three hours to go join the Marauders for some time, and was very glad to be with her boyfriend in person again. The girls made visits of course (although Alice seemed to remain behind in theirs with Frank) but Dorcas appeared to be much more tight lipped if Michelle was in the room with them. On the second of three visits in which Lily came and the Ravenclaw was gone, James took the liberty to ask her how her vacation had been. She claimed it was quiet and quaint for the most part but mentioned an awful dinner with her sister's boyfriend she had been forced to attend, which made him chuckle some.

"Was it your sister or him that made it so awful?" the captain pondered with an interested grin as Peter argued with Sirius that he had gypped him out of a Chocolate Frog card.

"I honestly don't know." Lily attested. He laughed some.

"What's your sister's name again?"

"Petunia. But you know that…"

Her answer triggered the name in James' mind and he remembered that this was indeed her sibling's name, but he had not heard it in awhile and he only knew it because he had overheard her speaking with one of her roommates about the girl. Naturally, he had been passionate about learning anything about Lily's life then and so had listened in.

"Well, yes…," he admitted, learning forward casually and playing with his fingers while Mary talked to Remus, "But you've never told me yourself. It's something I picked up from being in the same House as you for six years."

"Oh!," Lily noted, looking at him with mild surprise, "Well, yes. I suppose that does… make sense. We never… _I _never—"

"Wanted to be within 50 yards of me, let alone tell me your personal information." James interjected with a half grin. She blushed a tad, perhaps in guilt, and he laughed heartily because of it (the one devoid of arrogance, she observed).

"It's cool, Evans," the Chaser assured, the trace of the smile still left.

"Well… that shouldn't be a problem anymore, I don't think." Lily alerted, tucking hair behind her ear and looking friendly. James peered at her with pleased surprise, but in the next moment Sirius had risen and declared to everyone that he wanted to challenge James to a wizard's duel for bets, which captured attention and changed the atmosphere of the compartment.

A light snow had commenced when the Hogwarts Express pulled into the Hogsmeade station and the students prepared to return to the school. Michelle found James and told him that they should get their own carriage like they had last month.

"We could ask your Housemates again, Frank and Alice," she suggested. He nodded absent mindedly as he watched her dorm mates consorting not far off.

"Hey, has Fiona talked about Sirius or anything, indicated that she's still right pissed?" he asked.

"No, actually. She hasn't said a word about him, not even during the holiday."

"That's hopeful."

Sirius then swiftly strode up to them wearing a harsh expression on his face while he gripped his wand with a gloved hand.

"Do you see those wankers?" he started roughly.

"Who?" James answered as Michelle gazed around.

"The Slytherins! They just got off. And look who's with them!" He pointed straight ahead to where the five of them stood with their sixth companion: Regulus.

"Their faces have effectively made my stomach turn," the Potter boy observed.

"He keeps going round with them, Prongs! What the hell?!" Sirius stated through clenched teeth. Michelle appeared sympathetic.

"I know, it can't be good. They're in the same House but he _is_ only a fourth year."

"With Snivellus, of all Slytherins!" the Black boy grumbled, eyes set on the snakes. He then yelled out to that group as Peter and Remus walked up to their other two friends unawares:

"Oy! Have a pleasant holiday?"

The Slytherins looked and saw who was addressing them.

"Well, we finally get a peek at our favorite stooges!" Rosier hailed from their vantage point. Mulciber chuckled darkly.

"What's going on?" Remus muttered to James as he immediately went on defense.

"So, are these your permanent new mates now, Regulus? You've chosen to become a sixth year?" Sirius angrily inquired, gazing at his brother. The younger Black son's countenance instantly became similarly stormy and he fired back:

"Didn't I tell you at the beginning of the school year to mind your own business?"

The other snakes openly laughed at this jab which only caused Sirius to redden in embarrassment and additional anger.

"Know your place Black!" Avery leered.

"And you know yours—when to shut up before it's too late!" Sirius heatedly ordered. The humor quickly dissipated from the Slytherins' demeanor as they glowered at the other teenager.

"That sounded like a threat, which we're very quick to answer." Rosier notified.

"Oh, what happened? Not so quick to laugh anymore, not at yourselves? That's no fun!" Sirius mocked.

"I think he should drop it—James, tell him to drop it." Michelle pleaded.

"She's right. Padfoot, just let it go." Remus directed, peering at him.

"The pathetic do good-er and blonde floozy are afraid someone will get hurt." Snape observed, half smirking. Conversely, James withdrew his wand in a heartbeat and pointed it at him.

"And someone will, if you ever refer to my friend and girlfriend like that again," he remarked flatly.

"We're going, _now_. Carriages." Remus mentioned resolutely, sensing how it would take but one more sharp comment to push someone into using magic. He pushed Sirius ahead for his own good as they turned around.

"Fine! If that bugger gets caught up with them then at least it will all be on him! It's his funeral." Sirius loudly claimed as they departed, making sure the Slytherins heard. Regulus stood there with a rather blank expression, feeling both resentful and empty, but Mulciber had a retort.

"Perhaps he should be worrying about his own death," he growled, rubbing his forearm slowly.

Many of the Gryffindors merrily asked the Marauders if there was going to be a gratifying prank that night as they sat down to the feast, and were a bit let down when they were informed that nothing had been planned or truly discussed for this time around. (Sirius was quick to assure them that it would not be too long before his crew surprised the castle again, however). Albus Dumbledore graciously welcomed his pupils back but regretfully acknowledged the fact that three of their number had been taken out of Hogwarts indefinitely by their parents; he also reminded them that intentionally targeting each other was unacceptable. The four Houses drifted to their respective dormitories when the meal had ended to bring their night to a draw and commence the new term the following day.

No one seemed to miss the homework or hard labor of the courses. It was back to the grind when the sun bleakly rose in the morning, still very frosty outside nonetheless, and the only zealous ones were the professors. Every sixth year of the castle received a nice piece of information, consequently, and it came to them on their bulletin boards.

"Apparition, _finally_!" Edward Cabbot shouted in the Hufflepuff common room as they stared at the notice.

"Seventeen before August 31st—no problem," smiled Morris Finster as the Ravenclaws huddled to read their own announcement.

"Do we have to do it with the other Houses?" Avery drawled as he turned away from the Slytherins' post.

"Twelve Galleons… does that seem like a lot?" Peter questioned while the Gryffindors clamored around the bulletin.

"Your parents will give it to you; this is important!" Sirius declared nonchalantly.

"I'm excited." Dorcas grinned.

"Ditto!" Frank added.

"It's supposed to be a really intensive course." Mary mused.

"To minimize the splinching, I assume." Marlene half smiled.

"That would be kind of wicked, I'm not going to lie!" James attested.

"You _would _say that James!" Alice pointed out.

"It's fun until it actually happens to him." Remus interjected, snorting.

"Or me." Peter mumbled, shuddering.

"Fisher lost his thumb last year, remember?" Lily said.

"Definitely." Mary replied.

"I'll sign up first!," Sirius announced, taking the provided quill, "Here's to a long awaited wizarding right of passage!"

And one by one, they all signed up for the Apparition lessons, with Peter being the last to put his name down.

The weather remained terribly cold and the grounds largely blanketed with snow over the next few days as the kids eased right back into the routine ebb of Hogwarts life. The prefects had their rounds, Slughorn introduced the new potions his classes would be concocting that term (including Veritaserum for the sixth years), Sirius and Peter nearly earned detentions for "roughhousing" in Flitwick's section, and James was made aware of the Quidditch schedule for the rest of the term. As such, he quickly made his team's schedule and shared it with the players when he was done.

"Okay, our first match is on February 20th, against the Slytherins." James declared, rolling his eyes as the lions sat around one table in the common room one evening.

"What fun." Elizabeth commented dryly, her left hand supporting her chin.

"When do Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw play?" Kirby wondered.

"Before us, on the 12th," the captain responded, consulting his list.

"Right before Valentine's Day." Amy noted, smiling some. Mitchell grimaced at the observation, along with Dorcas.

"Right. Well as for us, we're having our first practice next week on Tuesday and the next on Thursday, both days at six."

"Just two?" Rodrigo pondered, sounding somewhat optimistic.

"No worries—it'll go back to three the following week." James assured, smirking slightly.

"Woo who…" Kirby feebly uttered.

"Dorcas, did you get a new broom when you went back home?" Amy posited, peering at her.

"Oh, yeah! For Christmas—a Cleansweep!" Dorcas notified.

"Cool." Elizabeth smiled.

"Yes, so we're set now," the Potter boy nodded, "Let's make sure we keep our perfect title."

There was also a staple of Hogwarts' life that the Marauders had to deal with specifically that approached them faster than they realized: the full moon. It was to occur during the middle of the third week and Remus was not looking forward to having to say he was going to visit his mother so soon after he had just seen her.

"So make something else up this time!" Sirius told him as the boys sat down at desks in Thorne's class.

"Like what?" the Lupin boy pondered.

"Just say—"

"Just say that _you_ are, or were… or will be!, ill. When they ask we'll say you caught something because of the weather." Peter suggested, sitting behind them alongside James. It was the week before the full moon on a Wednesday, the day after the Gryffindors had had their first practice that had lasted 90 minutes.

"That's… decent, Pete!" James commented.

"It is." Sirius agreed, surveying him in shock. Peter inclined his head happily.

"I can… okay," Remus acknowledged. He then saw green parchment sticking out of Sirius' Potions book, which he noticed before Defense, "What's that?"

"A book, Moony!" his desk partner quipped. James snickered.

"You know I mean the parchment."

"Just a Slug Club meeting reminder," the captain answered, "Next Friday."

"Back to those again." Sirius added, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey Padfoot," Peter began pensively, looking at the right side of the room, "You haven't gotten any attention from Etherton since we've been back, have you?"

"No, actually! Not a look, glare, rumor, attack or letter—nothing! She's been completely reserved; it's like we never were, and I'm relieved."

"I told you she'd be over it by the time the holiday was over." Remus vocalized as James nodded.

"It's about time," the Black boy mentioned.

The bell then sounded, altering everyone that class sessions could officially start, and Thorne spoke up instantly to gain control of her pupils.

"All right everyone! Let's begin," she announced as she opened her tome on her desk, "First things first—I am assigning an essay to you all that will be due next Friday." Numerous groans and sighs of disapproval came out of the students mouths at this statement.

"Already?" Winifred Flagstone pondered, a Slytherin prefect.

"Yes Ms. Flagstone, already."

"But it's only the second week of classes!" Quincy Royce, a Hufflepuff, insisted.

"It is the second week, which means you lot are well past due for an assignment Royce," Throne crisply responded, "And if one more person complains about this I'll extend the length requirement."

"I really think she may be McGonagall's secret daughter." Sirius mumbled to Remus.

"The essay's topic is to choose any spell we've learned in here as of yet and give a very thorough history of it, including its origins and any laws centered around it. I will pass out the instruction parchment at the end of class. With that being said, we continue honing your silent magic today as we will all year. This is the spell; I hope you did your assigned reading on it."

Thorne flicked her wand at the board and _Confringo_ appeared there, and she then launched into a concise explanation of its use, practicality and purpose. She displayed casting the spell twice out loud and twice silently by herself and then told the students to try on their own for 10 minutes, audibly and mentally. When that exercise was finished the professor spoke again.

"Okay, now that you have had some practice you are going to split into pairs and review and practice these five spells for the rest of the session. You've done them all before and _Confringo_ is the last one on the list," Thorne lectured, waving her wand and the board changing once more, "Oh, and yes—it is a random pairing of partners."

"Oy! Take the Slytherins off the list, then." James grumbled along with a few other unhappy kids.

"Aren't we all old enough to pick our own partners?" Avery asked, sounding quite perturbed.

"Well of course you are Mr. Avery, but you all should be able to interact effectively with all of your peers, so there will be no problems today, understand?" she replied assertively.

"Much easier said than done." Remus quietly exhaled.

"Everyone up, and move your desks back so we can begin."

The sixth years listened to Thorne's commands while she read the names of the selected partners aloud. Remus was paired with a very smiley Abigail Holland (which Mary huffed at), Frank was attached to a very content James (who hugged him as a joke), Lily was assigned with Bruce Bowyer and Alice had to resign working with the Slytherin Eleanor Trivers, but Sirius was the one with the partner of them all: Snape.

"Has she gone completely mental?! You can _not_ work with him!" Frank noted wildly.

"She's asking for a blood bath in her classroom! Oh Merlin…" Remus commented, putting his head in his hands.

"I had to work with him in Transfiguration last term, the git." Peter remarked. Sirius shrugged nonchalantly as he leaned on a desk that was pushed against a wall and stared at his partner to be with a scary patience, arms crossed.

"This isn't good! Even Thorne knows about the hostile relationship we all have—she'll have to change you," the prefect continued, "Sirius, go ask to switch partners."

"Why? You heard her—it was random selection. I got that pissant by chance." Sirius coolly said.

"But you seem to _want_ to be his partner, which means nothing good will follow." Frank told him.

"James." Remus probed, turning to him for help.

"What? What do you want me to say? Like he said, it was by chance," James answered, sounding just as forebodingly casual as his best friend, "Sirius will be fine. He knows how to behave…" _And if he's lucky, he can stick him without Thorne noticing._

"Yeah, I do." Sirius smirked, still participating in the staring contest he was having with Snape. On the other side of the room, the Slytherins appeared to be discussing the arrangement as well.

"Make sure you crush him… silently, of course! We _are _supposed to be learning!" Rosier smiled slyly. Gates chuckled while Severus felt satisfied anticipation flicker on the inside, his wand at his side.

"Okay everyone, meet your partners and practice the selected spells," Thorne instructed, surveying her classroom, "And remember what I said—_no_ problems are to arise from this. I think Professor Dumbledore would agree with me." Most of the students nodded but Sirius and Snape were not among them, too absorbed with leering at the other and waiting until they came face to face.

* * *

A/N: So I ended this chapter before it was supposed to have ended, but I was honestly tired of typing, lol. Chapter 23 will begin with Sirius and Snape as partners and it includes, drum roll please,… the Whomping Willow fiasco where James saves Snape's life! Finally! Ha ha.

Until then!


	23. Dead End Promise

A/N: Okay, so, fall semester is almost over (in three weeks) and between that and my internship, I've been a very busy bee. I'm so sorry this is a very late posting for November, but to make up for it I am planning to post twice next month. It'll be my holiday gift to you, ha ha.

I also wanted to say that I know the Whomping Willow scene with Snape and James happened during their fifth year according to JKR, and I'm writing it now during their sixth year. I wrote it out of order primarily because I think it was an important event for the Marauders' friendship dynamic and because I really thought it would be interesting to write, so I hope it doesn't bother you all too much.

Thank you to _Batamut, Matt, marauderxforever_ and _Bob_ for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 23 **

**Who's To Say?**

Thorne then told them to begin as she moved to a corner of the room to watch for a bit before she walked among them; when she passed by Sirius she muttered "I mean it" before continuing on, for she could not deny the likely possibility of trouble in his case.

It was needless to say that Sirius and Snape used much more than the selected spells on one another during their stint together and not for academic purposes. They initially did what they were supposed to and got through three spells as Thorne circled the room surveying her students, even if it was aggressively. However, after Severus placed a Jerking Charm upon Sirius as personal momentary amusement, a silent war broke out between the two that only got progressively more malicious and with graver spells. They appeared to forget Thorne's warning with indifference and battled each other over the pent up frustrations they had kept in for months with no positive way to release. They would have inexplicable physical marks that would not have come from the magic they were meant to review, but who cared when you had a rivalry to maintain? Consequently, their fight came to a climactic end and everyone's attention after Snape had delivered and efficient _Sectumsempra_ to Sirius' abdomen in which he instantly felt his lower chest begin to bleed. Outraged by the severity of the spell, the Black boy prepared to retaliate heavily but was hit by two more curses before he could. Forgetting his whereabouts and consumed suddenly by quick rage, Sirius pointed his wand at Severus and verbally yelled out _Mobilicorpus_.

Everyone ceased their work and gaped as Snape was brutally thrown to the side as if he had been pushed by a small troll, and he landed hard on his left side. Thorne appeared completely taken aback with an open mouth and some of the girls had put their hands to their mouths in surprise. James looked grimly satisfied but Remus looked weary and somewhat worried for Sirius as Snape picked himself up, now wearing a set snarl.

"What!... I told you!... you—what in Merlin's!... I said!," Thorne angrily stammered as she quickly stalked over to the boys, positively incoherent from indignation, "I _told_ you!—"

"He started it!," Snape snapped, "Didn't you see that?"

"You dirty liar!" Sirius shouted, balling his fists.

"_Quiet_! Both of you!," the professor boomed, glowering at the two, "Get outside—now."

They glared spitefully at one another before heading heatedly for the door with Throne directly on their heels.

"Mr. Lupin, if anyone else even _breathes_ the wrong way, notify me!" she directed, yanking the door shut behind her. The kids instantly began discussing the situation animatedly the second they were alone.

"I knew it!" Remus commented.

"That just means Snivellus most likely deserved it." James affirmed evenly.

"Oh, Sirius!" Marlene said in a low voice, shaking her head.

Once outside, Thorne gazed at the two perpetrators with a fiery, upset intensity worthy of any well seasoned mother. It was obvious she was angry and Sirius actually felt a bit of trepidation in some region of his brain.

"What… did I say?," the professor uttered in a voice that sounded calm but was deceiving, "More than once I stated 'no problems', but you blatantly chose to ignore it Black!"

"It wasn't only me! I didn't just attack him out of nowhere!" Sirius immediately defended.

"I didn't hear Snape shouting spells!"

"That's because he was too busy using them silently! I have marks to prove it."

At this he remembered his chest and could feel the wetness of his blood against his shirt. He had ceased bleeding because the curse had not been overly powerful, but he knew he had to tend to it. Severus leered at him spitefully while Thorne took a moment to form her next words.

"Detention, Black! For two consecutive weeks!" she snapped.

"What?!" Sirius answered. Snape now sported a bruise on his face from the fall but began to seem quite smug.

"At _least_! I am seriously considering making it three! You outright defied me!"

"Do you honestly think I acted totally alone in this whole thing, that he did nothing wrong at all?!"

"No actually, I don't," Thorne admitted, peering at the Slytherin, "Three days detention for you, Mr. Snape." The little smirk that had been on his face was quickly replaced by furrowed brows and a small scowl.

"Three days? Why?!" Snape demanded as Sirius too looked affronted, but because of his much lesser sentence.

"For your very probable involvement!," she retorted, "But I did not catch _you_, so three it is. We can make it five if you like, or seven." Severus shut his mouth but continued to look displeased, and the aggravated Black boy had a rapid urge to show the professor his bloody abdomen so she would make Snape's punishment as severe as his.

"Now get back in the classroom and move all the tables back. You two have effectively ruined the lesson and most likely extended the essay's length! And Black, rest assured that Professor McGonagall _will_ hear about this!" Thorne explained before going back into the room in a huff. Snape chuckled at Sirius and mouthed 'two weeks' and then followed, which left a very angry Sirius to walk in last.

They magically moved the furniture back as ordered once inside and then sat down at their desks with everyone else to commence reading out of the textbooks quietly until Defense was over.

"What'd she say?" Peter whispered furtively from his position behind with James, as all of the Marauders listened in.

"Detention, and really only for me." Sirius alerted.

"Snivelly got off?" James posited, surprised.

"With her maybe, but not me," he attested, glancing over at his foe darkly.

The full moon for January began like any other full moon for Remus and the remaining Marauders. He disappeared to the Hospital Wing on Tuesday evening, this time with the excuse of personal illness from Peter, and Snape went back on his werewolf watch with heightened, renewed vigor. It was awfully cold that day with drizzle and dark gray clouds that made people wonder if the sun ever existed or was just a myth. Gryffindor had its second practice of the week set for the evening as well.

"Oh, I _knew_ I meant to ask Moony something yesterday but I couldn't remember!," Peter relayed as the students ate lunch, "I just have now and he's not even here."

"What's it about?" James questioned, a bowl of soup in front of him.

"Apparition lessons, a-and Hogsmeade—the first trip. We haven't heard anything about either in awhile."

"Ask Evans. She's a prefect too."

"Oh, yeah!" Peter remarked. He then turned to their left and tentatively called Lily's name.

"Er, Evans?"

"Yeah?" she answered, peering at him from her position next to her roommates.

"Um, when… I-I wanted to know if you could tell me, when is the first Hogsmeade trip?" Peter inquired.

"And when we start Apparition lessons—he wants to know that as well." James interjected casually. The Muggleborn gave a very tiny smile and then responded.

"Well, Hogsmeade is next month on the day after Valentine's, and as for Apparition, that's supposed to being in February as well, the first Saturday of the month," she relayed.

"Thanks!" Peter piped.

"You're both welcome." Lily bid, turning back to the girls.

"Ooh, I'm welcome too!," James jested, smiling a tad. He then looked at Sirius who was focused on something else entirely, "Are you still with us Black?"

"Everything all right?" the Pettigrew wondered, also glancing at him.

"Just watching dear Regulus with the sixth years, _again_." Sirius reported testily, observing the Slytherin table with a set countenance.

"He's in over his head already." James commented, looking over there. His best friend nodded once in agreement.

"And then there's precious _Severus_," Sirius began sarcastically, "Between my wanker brother, framing us in classes, and stalking us on full moons, I'm starting to wonder if he really hates us. That pissant may just be in love with our every move!"

"Reckon he's gonna do it again tonight, yeah?" Peter posited, studying Snape speaking to Rosier.

"Of course! But this time… this time I think I'll have a little something for him, a way to thank him for being the marvelous loser he is."

"Sounds promising." James smirked.

"Oh, it will be." Sirius assured.

"Are you gonna get out of detention on time?" Peter asked. Sirius made an irritated face at the reminder of his unwanted punishment and replied:

"Yeah, I'll make sure I'm out of there by 9:30 somehow…"

He had been carrying out his detentions with Thorne every day for a week now, and as promised she had informed McGonagall, who had been far from happy and supported the idea of giving him three weeks sentencing instead of two. The Black boy had two more weeks of it to go and the duration of them was unpredictable; sometimes Thorne would let him go after an hour and other instances it would be after three. Either way, Sirius continued to be irate at Snape for it but at least had been glad to know that the Slytherin received five days of retribution instead of three, per McGonagall's suggestion.

"It's been weird the last few practices without you." James half grinned.

"And it's all because of Snivellus." Sirius said, eyes back on the snakes.

Gryffindor's practice was at seven o'clock that evening and Peter braved the cold weather along with Frank and Alice to watch it, which now included unpleasant wind. (He had a Defense lesson with Dorcas that that he was anticipating once the Quidditch team was finished playing but he always looked for any extra opportunity to be near or around her). Michelle showed up ten minutes after the lions were in the sky and was pleased to see Alice and Frank, since she had discovered that she got along quite well with the couple the previous month. Practice was an hour long and once it was over most of the team quickly left the locker room so they could hurry back inside to escape the bitterly freezing air, but James and Dorcas traveled to the stands to meet the observers. The captain kissed his girlfriend and she cheerfully noted that he was wearing her Christmas gift, but it was not until Michelle started discussing the plays and tactics they had witnessed that Dorcas joined their conversation.

"Whoa Parks, you sound a bit knowledgeable there," the Chaser commenced, "Taking notes for your own Quidditch team?"

"No…," Michelle responded, gazing at the other witch, "I actually just enjoy the sport and wanted to talk to James about it."

"Yeah, _that's_ the reason why you've been at so many of our practices—your love of the game." Dorcas uttered, smirking and turning back to her Housemates. They all laughed lightly assuming Dorcas was joking around, including James, but Michelle was the only one who did not even crack a part of a smile as she surveyed Dorcas.

"We've had our Ravenclaw spy talk. We're covered." James half grinned, putting an arm around the Ravenclaw.

"Well let's go back inside, yeah?" Frank offered.

"We'll get to our lesson, Pete," the Meadowes girl assured.

"Sure." Peter smiled.

"James." Michelle mumbled, touching his arm to keep him from following the other four. He looked at her, "I need to talk." The captain nodded then told his departing friends he'd catch up to them later, and Dorcas appeared dubious.

"Sure Potter!" she called, laughing some.

"So what is it?" James questioned when the couple was alone in the rough wind. Michelle sighed and folded her arms as she stared off at the castle.

"Did I do something?" he probed cautiously, noticing her demeanor.

"No," she answered.

"Is it a bad thing?"

"Well it's definitely not good," Michelle stated, looking at him, "It's your Housemate!"

"Which one?" James wondered, drawing his head back in surprise while his brows furrowed.

"Dorcas."

"Dorcas?," the Potter boy repeated, seeming alarmed, "What'd she do? What's wrong?"

"I don't know! Maybe you should ask her what's wrong, because she clearly doesn't like me!"

There was silence in which they stared at each other and the wind whipped through their hair and around their heads.

"You… you think Dorcas doesn't like you?" he inquired quietly.

"No—I'm _sure _of it." Michelle told him directly.

"How… how did you come to this?"

"She's been cold towards me for a long time. She's always saying snippy things, a-and giving me weird looks that she thinks I don't see! Well I _know_ she doesn't like me, whatever her childish reasons are, and I'm letting you know."

James had a confused look on his face as he looked at his girlfriend at a loss, and he raked a hand through his messy hair as he exhaled loudly.

"T-That just doesn't sound like Dorcas! I can't imagine…" he reported, looking down.

"Well maybe you need to talk to her about it because this is beginning to bother me." Michelle commented, arms crossed again and wearing a frown.

Severus' mind was able to wander to whatever trivial subject it chose to reflect upon since he had absolutely nothing to do while on his watch of Gryffindor Tower, and at the moment it chose to seize upon his 17th birthday (which had been days previously). He brooded as he leaned against a stone wall with good visibility of the Fat Lady and felt like the monumental birthday, or at least his in particular, had been completely pointless and overlooked. It had been wholly uneventful; Snape received essentially no gifts so there was definitely no traditional wizard's watch, and all his roommates did was wish him unenthusiastic "happy birthdays". His mother had sent him a short paragraph on parchment suggesting that maybe he could shut his father up on holidays now that he was an adult, and his only gift came from his Head of House (which turned out to be a box of Swedish wizarding sweets). The thing that bothered Snape the most, conversely, was that Lily had not acknowledged or even so much as glanced at him on his birthday, although he truly had not expected her to. In a past that had seemed to include a much happier Snape, Lily had always made him feel special on his birthdays, basically the only one, and now she wanted nothing to do with him….

Severus checked his watch and then looked back up at the entrance to the lions' dormitories. It was a bit past 9:20 and his three targets had yet to enter or exit the portrait hole. He can't have missed them—he had been hiding in this spot for nearly an hour and those prats never left _that_ early to do whatever they did on full moons. He inwardly sighed as he repositioned himself and continued to wait, now beginning to reflect on the fact that Lily's own birthday was at the very end of the month. However, in the next moment Snape heard footsteps that sounded terribly close to his location, and when he whipped his head to the right in alarm he saw Sirius Black coming straight towards him. He scrambled as he stood up erectly and attempted to replace the pure astonishment on his countenance with starch anger, but he was undoubtedly shocked—his spot had been well chosen (or so he believed).

"What in the hell are you doing up here Snape?" Sirius demanded steely when he had stopped near him.

"Whatever I damn well feel like—it's a free castle!" the Slytherin retorted, grasping his wand.

"You hardly ever leave the dark depths of the dungeons for areas of the school where there's actually light, so I'm suspicious."

"You should stick to minding your own business," Snape remarked. He then leered arrogantly at the other boy, "Just get back from your detention with Thorne?" Sirius' face had a dark shadow quickly pass over it and he almost reacted by cursing the snake. Consequently, he resolved to act on what he had been contemplating lately and it gave him great inward glee.

"You know Snivellus, I honestly can't stand you. You disgust me beyond all comprehension," Sirius began in a low yet menacing voice. Snape glared hatefully at him, "I think it's pitiful how you follow me and my mates around like a nutter, especially on nights like tonight—you know, full moons."

The Slytherin's body and face became rigid.

"Oh, yes—we're very aware. Do you think we hadn't noticed? That's why you're up here now! Come on—you're not very good at sneaking around. In fact, you're so awful at it, that _I'm_ going to help you out, the one you're trailing. I'm going to let you in on what we do every month." Sirius explained.

Snape continued to glower at the Gryffindor but his mouth was now slightly open from supreme disbelief, doubt, confusion and some humiliation. What was Black saying? He was messing with him, _had_ to be! He would never just give information like that away!

"Bullocks!" Severus half snarled, feeling stupid and exposed.

"Yeah? Don't believe me? Fine—whatever. That's your issue," Sirius answered in a hardened tone, "But I'm right sick of you _Snape_, and if this is what it takes to get you off our backs then so be it! If you're really so keen on finding out what we do, then go to the Whomping Willow in a bit. Take a stick, prod the knot on the base, and you'll get full access to what you're so desperate to see. Hope it's everything you've wished for."

Sirius then turned around and walked back the way he had come, allowing a positively supercilious smile at his deed to take over his face. That little nimrod would finally get what he was begging for! Snape meanwhile stayed rooted in his spot, sulking and appearing totally at a loss. What should he do? Had Black been the least bit truthful or was this meant to make a fool of him? For the first time in his life Severus felt slightly compelled to listen to Sirius Black, if only just to get him in trouble.

When James finally returned to the common room that night he observed Peter and Sirius speaking leisurely and sitting outside the circle of the flaming fireplace, while the wind outside pounded steadily against the school's stone structure.

"Jamesy, there you are!" Sirius hailed from his armchair, opening his arms in greeting.

"You've been gone for _well _over an hour!" Peter smiled.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry," James exhaled, "Michelle brought up something that was important to her and hard for me to grasp, so we had to talk about it."

"Yeah?" Sirius prompted.

"Yeah. We talked about if for a long time."

"Did you stay outside from eight til now?" Peter questioned disbelievingly.

"Oh, no—we went to the Room. And then, well… and then we snogged for awhile, so I could've been here 20 minutes ago but you know," the Potter boy revealed. His two roommates laughed heartily.

"Well we should get to Moony now, yeah?" Peter suggested, checking his watch.

"Yes, for sure; I know you two were waiting for me. Let me just go upstairs for a minute."

"Actually, I think we should wait a bit longer." Sirius vocalized, smiling faintly.

"Why? It's already pretty late, and you know how he gets if he has to wait by himself for too long."

"Yeah, violent." Peter added.

"I just reckon we need to give it a little more time," the Black boy affirmed, "I mean, he needs something of a head start."

James drew his head back in confusion and then commented:

"Remus needs a head start? For what?"

"Not Lupin—Snape."

"Snape? What does he have to do with anything?" Peter asked.

"Well," Sirius started, his smile becoming more pronounced, "I told that tosser how to get into the Whomping Willow earlier so he's probably on his way as we speak. I just thought it'd be nice to give him a lead to the Shack before we start in, let him get a good feel of it!"

There was total silence as James and Peter stared at their dorm mate, who appeared quite comfortable and content.

"What?" James stated in flat tone, as if he had heard wrong.

"You're… you're joking, right?" Peter pondered slowly.

"No." Sirius replied quirkily, looking at them in the same manner.

"Padfoot… you're taking our mickey—you _have_ to be!" the captain alerted, chuckling uncertainly while convincing himself this had to be the case.

"Not at the moment!" This came out chirpily.

They stared at him in utter disbelief. They were giving him opportunities here to fess up—why wasn't he seizing them?!

"Okay…" Peter commenced, giving the same nervous laugh that James had, "Really though, Sirius—you're messing around with us."

"Exactly." James concurred, though seeming afraid now.

"But I'm not!," Sirius insisted, laughing at their shock, "I'm telling you the truth! I told that wanker how to get to Moony because I am so tired of his entire self-righteous, greasy, low life presence, and he'll finally get what's coming to him! Snivellus was _so _concerned about what we do with our lives, well now that git is gonna find out and realize he should've kept out of the big boys' business. Hopefully by the time we get down there he'll have soiled himself from pure fright."

Peter had his mouth completely agape as he gazed at his friend in astonishment and horror, speechless. Conversely, James had his mouth clenched tightly shut along with balled fists as he studied Sirius and shook faintly; his face had lost some color.

"So, tonight's his lucky night," the Black boy finished, shrugging.

"YOU BLOODY MORON!," James suddenly yelled out, looking horribly distressed and directly at his best friend, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Both Peter and Sirius looked wholly surprised at this abrupt, powerful outburst but the latter looked baffled as well; in fact, all of the common room was now staring in their direction because of the volume of James' voice and what he had shouted. Consequently, he did not wait around for a response before he shot off for the boys' staircase and took the steps three at a time. He had to find out where Snape was—_now_. James ran into their room, throwing the door open, and made a beeline straight for Peter's trunk. The Map had last been in his possession and it was a Marauder rule that you had to put it in your trunk when through for easy access for the others. James hurled the top open as he dropped to his knees, feeling desperately frantic and never recalling experiencing it to this degree, and yanked the Map out when he spotted it among the various items.

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good!" he exclaimed impatiently, eyes begging for the content to appear rapidly. He muttered agitatedly under his breath while it took a moment for everything to become visible on the parchment, but when it did he immediately scanned the dungeons for Snape—his dot was not there. It was, however, dreadfully close to the drawn Whomping Willow and currently immobile.

James felt as though he could literally feel the rest of the color leave his face and his stomach drop as he gazed at the dot, and he did not even bother to say 'mischief managed' as he jumped quickly to his feet and let the Map flutter on the carpet. As it were, Frank and Peter appeared in the doorway as the captain was on his way back out.

"James, what's going on? What happened?" the Longbottom boy inquired with furrowed brows. But James ran right past them without a word, determined on only one thing now.

Time was crucial at this point and his surroundings were a blur as the Potter boy came back into the common room only to exit through the Fat Lady in order to get to the grounds. Sirius stood near their original spot and moved as if to say something to James but he passed by without a word, which left Sirius feeling even more bamboozled (and a tad slighted).

"James!" Dorcas called, standing with her roommates and appearing concerned. Alice and Marlene seemed worried too and Lily looked highly confused.

But James did not answer her either and practically jumped out the portrait hole. Once his feet hit the stone ground, he took off running to the first floor of the castle. Curfew was on his heels and there was a likely chance he could be stopped by the scheduled Ravenclaw prefects or a higher authority, but he did not care. There seemed to be a mantra in his mind propelling him forward and it directed him to get to Snape, and rapidly. When James made it to the ground floor he ran into Filch, and almost literally.

"Potter! Watch where you're going!" the caretaker growled, pushing the teenager back from his body. His cat hissed.

"Sorry!" the captain gasped, feeling a loss of breath.

"Wait—where are you going? Why are you down here?," Filch pondered, eyeing him suspiciously, "It's too late for you to be out of your common room!"

"I'm sorry," James apologized again, moving to his left and hurrying past the Squib for the double doors. Filch appeared shocked as he turned and watched the Gryffindor go.

"I asked you a question, boy! Where do you think you are going?!," the older wizard shouted. His face then lit up with awkward glee as he thought of what James' defiance meant, "You'll be in for it! I'm getting Professor _McGonagall_, ha! You'll be in for it Potter!"

The caretaker hobbled away laughing triumphantly as James pulled open one of the oak doors and slipped outside. He was greeted instantly by the tenacious, cold wind and it stunned him for a moment. His gaze shot over to the Whomping Willow and he saw that the large tree was still, with no one in sight; Snape had to be on his way to the Shrieking Shack then, and he would have to get inside without Peter there to maneuver among the roots. James gritted his teeth and ran in the direction of the willow, beginning to feel his adrenaline kick in now that he was so close to getting to his destination and obligation. He stopped right out of reach of the branches as they began to swing aggressively and stared at the knob which was his target, then exhaled loudly before rushing into the erratic madness. The fact that James was a Quidditch player aided him substantially in avoiding being hit—his agility served him well while he moved between the branches. However, when he was near the entrance to the tunnel, the tree struck him in the back and sent him flying forward right to the knob. He groaned with sharp pain as he picked himself off the ground, but at least one favorable thing came from the push—he had ceased the willow's movement by breaking his fall with his hands. James took a brief stint to compose himself from being hit in the back but brief it was, because he had to make every second count in getting to Snape before Snape got to Remus and became fully aware of his well guarded secret. The captain felt another, more powerful surge of adrenaline hit his body as he entered the dreary tunnel and started running as fast as he could ever remember running in his 16 years of life.

* * *

Severus was walking very quickly through the murky tunnel breathing the smell of the coarse earth and breathing deeply, staring straight ahead. He felt like he had been walking for quite a long time in the dark passage and he probably had, but he did not care if he had another hour to go; as long as he got to his destination, whatever it was, he did not mind. Black had told him that he would finally become privy to what those four did on a monthly basis, and after fierce deliberation and contemplation, the Slytherin deduced that he believed his foe for some reason. Perhaps it was simply extreme, naïve, curiosity and hope, but here he was trekking underground in a determined fashion until he came to a dead end promise. Snape pondered if they would all be there or if Black had put his friends in a compromising position and three of them would be walked in on and stunned. Again, he did not care as long as he found out and could potentially get the Gryffindors in meaningful trouble.

At a certain point Snape thought he began to hear noise of some sort coming from behind him. He initially thought he was imagining the commotion and thus ignored it, but when it did not go away he ceased walking and listened carefully with a frown. The noise was indeed real, and from what he could make of it… it sounded like running feet and clearly someone yelling. Someone else was in here, behind him! Snape felt highly alarmed but then realized it must have been one of the Marauders, or assumed so. This caused anger to shot through his veins since he did not want to be deterred from discovering his target, and when he listened again he understood what the person was shouting.

"Snape! Are you in here? _Snape_!"

That was Potter's voice. With this recognition Snape felt instant irritation and rebellion. What did that idiot want?! To stop him or interfere, or to make some kind of fool of him? Well the Slytherin would not permit it, and felt even more resolve to hurry along this unknown passage. He turned back around and started to jog, but before he knew it he heard James' voice again and it was considerably closer.

"Snape!" he yelled with mild shock. Severus looked back once more and experienced his own nasty surprise when he saw Potter standing rooted in a spot that was both far from and close to him. They gazed at one another for a stint and then the snake turned on his heels and took off running in his original direction.

"Snape—NO!" James yelled, eyes widening in disbelief at this brazen move. He shot off after him a moment later.

There was no way that Snape could typically outrun the Gryffindor on any given day; James was an athlete and engaged in physical activities habitually, giving him an enormous advantage over the former. However, sheer determination mixed with loathing seemed to push Snape further and faster than he could have normally gone, and when he observed the end of the tunnel up ahead—an opening that had dull light seeping from it—he felt his heart leap. This was it! He just had to reach it before Potter reached him.

"Stop, you twit!" James commanded, fear now evident in his voice.

Consequently, Snape then became aware of the odd and foreboding noises issuing from the entry as he moved nearer, and they gave him an unexplainable chill in his bones. _It doesn't matter—go! _

"STOP!" the captain demanded.

But Snape did not. He threw out his arm, in fact, since he was that close to his destination. Conversely, it was in the next few moments of time that everything seemed to happen all at once, in one, surreal blur. James got to Snape right as the Slytherin got to the opening and yanked him back with rough force, but not before Snape had struggled inside a tad to reveal a badly damaged, eerie living room of some residence. The next thing he beheld would never leave his memory and astounded him more effectively than any curse ever could. Snape did not get a long peek, but he did witness a snarling werewolf attacking an armchair and ripping it to shreds. He felt unaltered fear and incredulity while his mouth fell open.

"Shit." James uttered weakly as they both stared at the creature in a stupor that last a second but felt like an eternity. The Potter boy personally felt nauseous because his friend's secret was now out to their biggest enemy and because he had never seen Remus like this as a human. It was a totally different, chilling experience.

It took an incredibly short amount of time for the werewolf to notice that he was suddenly not alone, and he shot his head up from his destruction to take two human beings stand frozen in his line of vision. When the boys observed the werewolf was staring at them now and had tensed in a predatory stance, they felt acute terror as their eyes widened. Snape felt as though his entire body had shut down and could no longer function although he felt like vomiting, while James, who had blanched completely, went into survival mode.

"GO! Run!" he ordered, pushing the Slytherin to move as he turned around with fervor and the werewolf charged for them, snapping his teeth furiously.

"_Run_!" James directed again, searching frantically for his wand while Snape broke into a cold sweat as they commenced running as rapidly as their legs would allow.

The werewolf growled deeply from somewhere behind them and the captain threw back a shaking arm to point his wand, finally having located it. He was going to have to hit Remus with magic, and he truly did not want to but this was literally a matter of whether or not they would live to see tomorrow.

"Do something!" Snape stated, panting slightly and sounding absolutely frightened.

James peered back only to ensure that his arm was straight and then closed his eyes and apologized regretfully to his friend before performing a silent spell. They heard the werewolf let out a surprised yelp and James took it as a sign that his incantation landed, but neither looked back to confirm and they continued running for their lives.

The two young wizards ran the entire length of the passage back to the Whomping Willow, breathing raggedly and always wondering if they would be attacked from behind. It was a substantial length to run but they did not truly notice because of their intense desire to get out safely, and when they finally saw the way in which they had entered and could see the bright light of the full moon, it was like breathing again for the first time. Snape leapt back first into the windy night with a stitch in his side followed closely by James, who was still rather pale. With the almost set guarantee that the werewolf would not follow them up to the school's grounds and the reassurance that they would survive to see another light of day, their fear quickly turned to hysteria.

"That was Lupin—I know it! That was _Lupin_!" Snape accused, rounding on the Potter boy and appearing absolutely overwhelmed and shell shocked.

"What?" James replied, evidently trying to stall as he was hunched over, regaining his breath. Clearly Snape was correct but how could he just admit to it?! _Damn_ Sirius!

"You tried to have me killed, you and Black! You're mental! You twisted wankers!," the Slytherin ranted, advancing on his foe, "You and your _freak_ friend! I swear, I'll have your heads!" Snape then rushed at James and the Gryffindor popped up, pushing him away angrily and with some surprise.

"I don't think you'd hold your own in a fight, _Snivellus_! You'd bloody better watch yourself!" James noted with bared teeth and a now drawn wand.

"Don't you _dare _threaten me Potter! Not after tonight! You gits won't get away with this, I promise you! That abomination—that _werewolf_—was LUPIN!" Snape's wand sparked mightily as he yelled this, livid.

"You watch your mouth!" the captain declared, equally irate and helpless. It was all out now.

"Misters Potter, _Snape_!" a voice shrilly shouted. Professor McGonagall was rushing up to them, and swiftly, with a happy looking Filch on her heels as well as Peter and Sirius, who had deeply furrowed brows. Something inside James snapped when he observed his best friend in the small group.

"Drop your wands, d'you hear me? _Lower_ them!," she commanded, fully aware of the dangerous tension between them as she approached, "Now what on Earth is going on here?! Argus got me for Potter, but I met these two on the way and there's _you_ Snape! What has happened?!" She looked outraged but it was nothing to what James and Severus felt.

"They—all of your perfect Gryffindors!—tried to murder me! They meant to _kill_ me tonight!" the Slytherin raged, shaking with indignation and wide eyes. McGonagall inhaled as Filch frowned deeply while vexation appeared on Sirius' face.

"What are you talking about?" she asked sharply, peering at Snape.

"With bloody Lupin! They sent me to my death by getting me to unknowingly follow that… that… monster!" The professor blanched and became as rigid as a board at this announcement but the Black boy had something to answer him with.

"No one _made_ you do anything, Snape! Always playing the victim!" Sirius remarked harshly. Snape directed his line of fury towards him but before anything more could be said between them, James spoke out.

"You sodding twat! This is _all_ your fault!," he erupted, glowering and shouting at his best friend, "I can't believe you!"

The captain then rushed at Sirius with a fist drawn back as if to strike and it caught every one of the four off guard. Sirius gawked at him, Peter cried out and McGonagall gasped loudly but fortunately she waved her wand at James just in time and magically restrained him from ambushing Sirius.

"You're horrible!" James grumbled, continuing to glare at his closest friend while immobile. Sirius did not reply but looked back at him with pure shock, dimly aware that James' eyes had darkened.

"This… this is too much!," the professor commenced, very pale and seeming horribly taken aback, "Now everyone, listen to me: I am taking you to Professor Dumbledore! He can uncover the truth and sort through what you are accusing them of conspiring against you, Mr. Snape!"

"What I said _is_ the truth," the Slytherin reported with suppressed rage, peering at her. From the intensity of his gaze she knew that it was unfortunately correct—that he had come into contact with a transformed Remus.

"Dear Merlin!...," McGonagall commented, putting a hand over her face in fresh, overwhelming emotion. She had to compose herself quickly however, and when she spoke again she was stern with anger, "Get to Professor Dumbledore's, _now_. Argus, please escort Snape there."

"Of course," the Squib wheezed.

"Take him first. I will follow with Black and Potter."

Severus then abruptly left the entourage of wizards and stalked off towards the castle with balled fists, throwing the Marauders the most hateful, menacing glare he had ever mustered for them as he departed. It was very severe.

"Wait for me, boy!" Filch commanded, hobbling after him.

"Pettigrew, get back to Gryffindor Tower please." McGonagall instructed next.

"But!... but, why?" Peter questioned, appearing disappointed.

"Because I told you. I feel as though you had nothing to do with this situation and so you should return to the common room. You will be summoned if needed. Go."

Peter's body language became down trodden as he turned and walked in the direction of the castle. He should have been able to stay—he was also a Marauder—and he actually did not know much about what exactly had happened to Snape.

"As for _you_ two," the professor commenced, looking at them with undeniable emotion, "If the stories coincide and it is revealed that you did send Snape to encounter Mr. Lupin, then I cannot even begin to describe the severity of your punishment! You may very well be expelled, and would probably deserve it!"

"Expelled?" Sirius wondered, appearing worried for the first time that night.

"Yes, Black! Why would you even _consider_ doing such a heinous thing?! I thought Remus was your friend; why would you do that to him?"

Sirius looked at the earthy ground with regret, another first of the night, while James glowered at him.

"James had nothing to do with it, Professor. He didn't know… he actually ran after Snape," the Black boy admitted quietly. His admission did not soften James in any way, and in fact he seemed to be more perturbed by it.

"Very well," McGonagall responded firmly, nodding once, "We must proceed to Albus' office; this matter is too grave to put off. Black, you will speak to him last and will wait in my office until I come to fetch you."

"I'm not walking with him!" James insisted roughly, taking a few, quick steps away from them. They peered at him with some surprise.

"Potter!"

"I'll go to Professor Dumbledore's, I will, but I can't—won't—walk with him! I'm sorry."

James then took off for the double doors with definite fury as McGonagall was too stunned to call his name once more and Sirius appeared nothing less than crestfallen.

"I don't know what exactly you did yet, but it has caused terrible damage already…. Let's go," she remarked, leading a steadily dismal Sirius away.

* * *

A/N: So, the next chapter in two weeks, methinks…


	24. The Blowout

A/N: I think I am just going to stop making promises of future postings because they always seem to fall through. Let's just play it by ear and stick to the usual once a month for now :/

Oh life!

Well, I was on a break from school so that was nice, and it gave me time to write more often. I hope everyone had a good holiday season!

Gratitude goes out to _SnarkySidekick_ for the review, and those who keep adding this to their favorite story list. Smile.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**Who's To Say?**

When James arrived to Professor Dumbledore's office he did not see Snape or Filch anywhere in the vicinity, but he could hear passionate voices coming from behind the closed barrier and he knew they were already inside. The Chaser placed himself against a stone wall and stood upright with crossed arms while he waited. This was a complete nightmare. Sirius' dumb actions had put not only Snape in terrible physical danger but had put Remus in an even worse situation—their long time enemy now knew his secret! How was Dumbledore going to react? Would he make Snape stay silent about the issue? Would he expel Sirius? At this moment James found that he did not care if Sirius were to be banned from the school; he was absolutely furious with him. Had he really not considered Remus in this whole predicament?! The captain had to shut his eyes to steady himself from all the emotions he was experiencing. It all seemed so surreal.

Not very long after James had arrived, McGonagall appeared to the headmaster's suite by herself.

"Potter, keep waiting here until I come out and fetch you," she advised, looking solemn and stern at once. He nodded and she gave the password to the gargoyle before going inside the warm room.

"—want _justice_!" James heard Snape shout.

"Severus, I understand, but do try and—ah, Minerva!" Dumbledore said.

"Albus, the situation is very grave…" the Animagus began. But that was all the Gryffindor heard before the door shut again.

James waited for someone to stir for a little more than half an hour. He found that he felt progressively hopeless with each passing minute… what would happen to Remus? He was alone tonight, for the first time in over a year, and it was all because one of his best friends. It was virtually midnight when bodies came out of the office and James straightened up at the noise, looking to see who it was. His Head of House came first followed by a visibly aggravated Severus Snape, who appeared no more satisfied than when he had gone in.

"Directly to your dormitory, Snape," the professor notified, sounding a tad pitying of the boy.

"You four have now gotten yourselves into un_imaginable _shite, Potter! You picked the wrong wizard at an even worse time! I'll give you _more_ than hell for this!," the Slytherin growled to him when he was at the same level, eyes boring into his. McGonagall opened her mouth to speak but Snape moved on swiftly in the next instance, leaving the Potter boy to glare at his back.

"You're next, Potter," she revealed, beckoning for him, "You'll have to defend your side, based on what Snape told us."

James got off the wall and followed his professor back to the office, feeling both ready and nervous to speak to the headmaster.

"James, welcome." Dumbledore greeted when the two walked in, inclining his head. The old wizard was perched behind his desk and appeared calm, but his eyes told a different story.

"Have a seat please," he said, gesturing to one of the two in front of his desk. The captain obeyed as McGonagall went to stand on the headmaster's right.

"I apologize for the late meeting, but this matter manifested quite suddenly as you know and must be resolved," Dumbledore explained. James nodded in understanding, "How are you doing?"

"Not my best… sir," the teenager answered, looking briefly into blue eyes.

"Of course not, not after what transpired tonight. Mr. Snape just gave me his account of what happened earlier, Mr. Potter, and I must say—it places you and Mr. Black in very bad positions."

"What did he tell you?" James pondered, peering between the two adults.

"He reported that he met Mr. Black in a corridor this evening, who gave him explicit instructions to go to the Whomping Willow later to answer a question he had. Severus said he had his doubts but went anyway, primarily out of curiosity, and when he was making his way under the tree he came across you, who had apparently followed him. He felt that—due to your presence—something had to be wrong with the situation and became very mistrustful."

"Did he say _why _he thought I was 'following' him?" he asked through slightly clenched teeth, striving not to lose his calm in front of the headmaster.

"Mr. Snape said he was sure you two were trying to greatly trick him in some way, and while not entirely positive of why you were behind him, he felt instant suspicion."

"That doesn't even make sense! If we were tricking him why would I ruin it by making myself known?!" James posited heatedly, losing it for a moment.

"He made it a point to state that he had no idea as to why you followed him—it may have been a part of the alleged hoax—but he said he did not trust you and so attempted to get away," Dumbledore conintuned, inclining his head, "Severus then reported that he ran for the only opening he saw, which happened to be the entrance for the Shrieking Shack, and you pursued. He claimed you reached him as he reached the opening and forcefully threw him back, but not before he saw a live werewolf… whom he insists is Mr. Lupin."

The old wizard peered at the younger over his glasses with steeped fingers as the last sentence came out of his mouth, while McGonagall shook her head in an upset manner. James felt something in his stomach drop as he looked at the headmaster.

"Mr. Snape told me that you both ran the way you came when the werewolf noticed you, and that is almost attacked. You both clearly made it out the passage and were almost immediately discovered by Minerva, Argus and misters Black and Pettigrew. Severus is swearing, after thinking about the facts in his head, that you four—all four of you—sent him there tonight on purpose, in order to be physically harmed." Dumbledore relayed.

There was heavy silence in which the flames of the fire cackled and James stared at the desk, beginning to feel hopeless and burdened once more, like he was falling in a pit.

"Mr. Potter," the headmaster began, leaning forward and speaking a tad more quietly, "It is no question to me that you, Peter and Sirius know of Remus' condition, every aspect of it. He has been your friend for nearly six years and could not keep something of that magnitude to himself for this long. I am _sure_ you know about the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack, and have evidently walked that tunnel more than once. But, because of this knowledge, you have now been put in an extremely difficult predicament. Someone _must_ be held accountable for what occurred earlier, and I need your story to make the correct determination."

James nodded numbly as he continued to peer at the desk, wondering if the issue of their illegal status as Animagi would have to be revealed—the two subjects were so innately intertwined! But Sirius had already betrayed enough massive secrets for them all so James resolved that he would do no more harm by addressing an equally crucial, yet easily avoidable, topic. When he looked up at Dumbledore and McGonagall, the anger was back in his eyes but his voice was even and did not falter.

"I got back to the common room tonight some time after 9:30—Gryffindor had Quidditch practice at seven and then I spent some time with Michelle Parks afterward," he started to explain, arms on both armrests, "Peter and… and _Sirius_, were near the hearth so I joined them, and not very long after I arrived Sirius gladly told us that he had… that he had told Snape how to get into the Willow. He told us he had told him to go there tonight, if he wanted to see where it is that Remus goes every month."

"How would Snape—" McGonagall prompted.

"He follows us around, a lot, and never believed Remus went home every month to visit his mum," the captain commented, knowing where she was going. She appeared surprised while Dumbledore nodded somberly, "But when Sirius told us I thought he was joking around, because there was no way I wanted to believe it. I couldn't! I knew he hated Snape in our business but I never thought he'd do anything like that! So when I knew he was telling the truth I felt sick. I knew Snape would go, and I knew he would meet Remus… as a werewolf. I just took off for the Willow after that without really thinking and was hoping I could get to Snape before anything happened. I caught up to him in the tunnel at a point and he saw me but ran, right for the Shack and Remus, so I ran after him. We got to the entrance at the same time and I did pull him back, but not before he saw." James sounded regretful while uttering the last sentence.

"And did Remus attempt to attack?" the headmaster questioned.

"Yes."

"And what prevented him from doing so?"

"I had to use a spell to keep him back." James answered, his shoulders dropping. McGonagall looked at him with empathy.

"Unfortunate, yet necessary," Dumbledore muttered, nodding vaguely, "And so then you two ran back along the passage?"

"Yes sir, to get back outside. When we made it Professor McGonagall came moments later."

"I see…. Thank you, James. Your side seems to undoubtedly coincide with Mr. Snape's from what I can deem, but there is one more side that we must hear to have all the information we need," The Chaser's countenance became firm with irritation as the old wizard turned to McGonagall, "Minerva, if you will please summon Mr. Black."

"May I leave? Do I have to be here when he is?" James inquired, appearing less than happy, looking between the two once more.

"I understand your disappointment directed at your friend, Mr. Potter—" Dumbledore replied, peering at him again and speaking sincerely.

"It's more than disappointment," the teenager responded, cutting him off and sounding horribly truthful. The headmaster closed his eyes briefly and nodded lightly, as though reflecting.

"It will not be long that I ask you to stay James, I promise you. I just implore that you remain a little while longer. Please." Dumbledore requested. James leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, but nodded in agreement as he stared at the window to his left.

"Very well." McGonagall acknowledged, stepping to the fireplace in order to get to her office. The captain watched her go as the flames changed color and prepared to keep his anger in check at the unwanted sight of Sirius, and a handful of moments later the fire was altering color yet again while two figures emerged from the hearth.

"Mr. Black—welcome." Dumbledore said, facing him, as Sirius wiped soot from his uniform robes.

"Hello Professor," he answered in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. He then straightened up and saw James who was glowering at him, which made him initially freeze as he gazed back.

"Take a seat Black." McGonagall ordered, back in her original spot.

"Indeed," the headmaster added cordially. Sirius peered at them doubtfully for a second but then walked over to the empty chair on James' right in a slow manner. The Potter boy continued to look gravely vexed with folded arms but was no longer looking at the other Gryffindor.

"I have been made aware of tonight's events from misters Snape and Potter and their perspectives, and all I need now is yours, Sirius." Dumbledore noted, studying him with clasped hands. His Head of House was looking at him keenly and without sympathy.

"It was a stupid thing to do…" the Black boy mumbled, dropping his eyes as he trailed off. James scoffed openly and shook his head, which led Sirius to glance at him somewhat somberly.

"It was indeed an erroneous decision," the old wizard remarked, looking over his spectacles sternly again, "But I need to know how it came about."

Sirius' face went through a brief, though raw, display of multiple emotions at once, something that usually happened when he felt confused, conflicted or overwhelmed.

"I was just so fed up with him! He's so nosy and irritating!... it seemed like a great solution, then at least," Sirius commenced, speaking audibly but only making eye contact with his lap, "I saw him near Gryffindor Tower, _again_, on my way back from detention so I confronted him. It just hit me to tell him… to tell him he could find out where Remus goes once a month, so he could get off our backs and out of our business. So, I told him… that the Whomping Willow would take him there, and how to get in. I just wanted… I just wanted for Snape to get a nasty shock for following us around, to teach him to stop. But then James came back to the common room, a-and I told him and Peter what I had done. They couldn't believe it, but James was the one who yelled at me and then ran out the Tower without waiting. At that point I was rethinking the situation and what I had done while Peter said we had to go after them. I eventually got out of my thoughts and agreed so we left the common room, then we ran into—"

"Into me, near my office," McGonagall cut in. Sirius looked up at her, "Argus was telling me about Potter, who had left the castle against the many imposed rules, and then I saw Black and Pettigrew out so I knew something was wrong. I made them tell me what they were doing, was stunned by the vague answer I received, and so ventured outside with them so I could get to the bottom of it all. We had to wait awhile for Snape and Potter to reappear above ground."

"Yeah. That's… that's what happened." Sirius mumbled. A few seconds of silence passed before the headmaster uttered anything.

"So you admit sending Mr. Snape to a severe, dangerous situation? Intentionally?" he inquired, staring at the Black boy.

"Yes sir."

"Do you remember me telling the students of this school last month that I will _not _tolerate them targeting one another, Mr. Black?"

"Yes, sir…" Sirius murmured, his voice quieting more.

"And, beside the fact that you could have very well, and in fact _did_, send Severus Snape to a likely death, did you once think of your good friend Mr. Lupin and what position you forced him into?" Dumbledore pondered.

At this, Sirius hung his head and covered his face with his hands in shame. McGonagall shook her head to herself while James peered at the other teenager sideways with a dirty look.

"Mr. Potter, you are now free to go—I must speak to your fellow Housemate alone," the headmaster explained, nodding at him, "You had no part in this debacle, except for the selfless and courageous decision to go after Mr. Snape and essentially saving his life, while putting your own at risk. You helped Remus in an enormous way as well, I'm sure. I am very impressed with your actions tonight James, and I think that they should be commended. In fact… I think your overall behavior since the start of your sixth year needs to be acknowledged, for it has been noticeably remarkable."

"It has?" the Chaser questioned, looking a tad dubious.

"Of course. You are doing a wonderful job as leader to your Quidditch team, managing yourself in and out of classes, and have not served one single detention since September. And while certain individuals may argue that you have had a hand in the pranks of this school year, I have not been notified of any misconduct arising from your person," Dumbledore relayed, giving a diminutive smile, "It is admirable."

"Well, thank you, sir…" James did not personally feel like celebrating his accidental good behavior at this particular moment, but it must have been a considerable thing for the headmaster to mention.

"I think you may take your leave now, Potter." McGonagall stated softly, feeling (though not expressing) pride for her student.

"I do have a question before I go." James announced, peering at the professors.

"Of course." Dumbledore consented.

"What is going to happen to Snape? What about Remus' secret?" Sirius pulled himself out of his guilt to gaze at the adults as well, curious to know.

"Ah, yes," the old wizard started, exhaling lightly, "Well, this is clearly a sensitive issue for Remus and I intend for it to remain his secret as long as he wishes it to be. As such, I requested that Severus tell absolutely no one of what he saw tonight, or even allude to it. He will remain closed mouth about it—there is no other option."

"And he agreed?" James wondered skeptically.

"Not happily, of course, but he indeed did. As I said, there was not much of a choice. He did, however, want sufficient punishment for his silence and ordeal, and I readily obliged him."

Sirius bowed his head again at this statement and James felt bitter satisfaction as he glanced fiercely at his roommate. He at least agreed with Snape on _that_ aspect.

"Thank you, Professor," the Potter boy remarked as he stood up and got ready to exit the office.

"No, James—thank you. Your intervention prevented a travesty from happening tonight." Dumbledore alerted gratefully, blue eyes on him.

"Good night Potter. If another professor happens to stop you for being out, simply say you had a meeting with the headmaster." McGonagall bid.

"Good night Professors," he answered, nodding. He then turned and walked to the door without looking at Sirius once, and had no real urge to.

James got back to Gryffindor Tower without trouble and had a mind packed with thoughts as he stepped through the portrait hole, so much that it felt like there was not enough room to house them because they were firing off so quickly. His anger was still immense and he dreaded Sirius coming back to the dormitory because he had no idea how he would react, and that was not a good thing. Consequently, the captain received a shock when he saw that the remaining sixth years were all gathered near the fireplace in chairs, seemingly waiting for him. There were only two other Gryffindors in the common room at this late hour and Mary and Marlene appeared rather sleepy, but when Peter noticed James the atmosphere changed at once.

"Prongs! What happened?!" Peter asked, jumping out his seat and studying his friend anxiously. They all stared at him with immense confusion and some worry, and he gazed back with a furrowed brow.

"Where's Sirius?" Frank posited, slowly getting out of his seat.

"You just ran out of the common room, and that was hours ago!," Alice reported, "You screamed at Sirius… you had us all concerned."

"Yes, is everything all right? Are you going to tell us what happened?" Marlene asked. Peter nodded earnestly while Lily surveyed him with a fretful half frown, silent, like Mary.

"I don't want to talk about it," he asserted shortly, after a moment. And he did not. It was too soon, and there was too much to say and then gloss over in order to maintain Remus' secret. Peter clearly had to know but even that would wait until tomorrow. His blatant announcement, nonetheless, shocked them even more.

"James!" Dorcas said, looking at him seriously.

"What? I don't have to say anything," the captain revealed.

"But… something happened, something that seems important—we're a bit worried!" Frank informed.

"If you want to know so badly, ask that bloody git Sirius when _he_ gets back!" James snapped.

"_James_!" Dorcas stated again, standing up and appearing upset now. But he ignored them and strode swiftly to the staircase, taking them two at a time, intent on getting to the room.

"Merlin, what happened?!" Alice pondered, sounding exasperated.

"He's _never_ talked about Black like that!" Mary near whispered to Marlene.

"Pettigrew, maybe you should go talk to him?" Lily advised, peering at him and wanting to bite her lip. They all in fact studied him with concern.

"Yeah, y-yeah…," he murmured, gazing at the staircase dazedly, "I will—I have to! I just… think he needs a minute."

James felt like blasting things apart when he entered his shared room and surveyed the area with stormy eyes. His anger was back. He should have expected it but how could they just hurl those questions at him and want to know every detail? And how could Sirius _do _this to one of his best friends?! James withdrew his wand quickly in order to let out his frustration and blow a vase apart that sat on the window's ledge, but in the next instance it was gone and had been replaced by weariness. If he felt like this he could only fathom what Remus would experience when he found out; the Potters' son had never struggled with his emotions to this degree. The idea of Sirius was currently offensive to him and he had _never_ once thought this would be possible…. James trudged over to his bed and fell back on it, dropping his wand on the side. It was past 12:30 AM and his body knew he was exceptionally tired but sleep was not his number one priority. All he felt like doing was brooding silently as he stared at the ceiling of the four poster.

Some time later (though James did not know how much), right before the clock hit one o'clock in the morning, the door of their dormitory opened and the captain heard footsteps. He did not have the strength nor desire to get up and see who had entered so simply remained lying down.

"James?" Peter prompted cautiously. The Chaser felt relief knowing it was him.

"Yeah Pete?" he replied in a tired voice, closing his eyes.

"Are you going to say anything?" There was some silence following this.

"I'll tell you what happened tomorrow, Peter."

"And maybe… you'll let me explain my stupidity," another voice tried, causing his eyes to snap open with alertness. James sat up quickly and gazed out at the new arrivals in the room—Sirius was standing near Peter and appeared somber. James' face hardened at the sight of his so called best friend and his fury crept up once more.

"I'm a wanker." Sirius croaked, holding a hand up in sincerity as he looked at the Chaser.

"You already did your explaining in Dumbledore's office." James pointed out sharply, glaring.

"I know, but—"

"I don't want to hear a _damn_ thing you've got to say, understand? You're more than a wanker could ever hope to be!"

"Prongs!" Peter begged as the captain hastily pulled his drapes closed, shutting them out, and Sirius desperately opened his mouth to speak. But he knew there was no point in saying a single word for James was positively furious with him, and it stung Sirius but he could not blame him. His entire being seemed to deflate as he stared down at the carpet.

"I-It's late, we should get to bed," Peter said sadly, watching Sirius, "I'll go fetch Frank, let him know it's okay to come up now. We need sleep—t-there's gonna be a lot to deal with tomorrow."

* * *

Wednesday brought sleets of ice rain that made the students of Hogwarts feel a tad morose, but it was entirely insignificant compared to how the Marauders felt. James woke up feeling the same exact way but probably a hare worse, because today was the day Remus would be human again and have to hear what happened. He also continued to be righteously furious with Sirius and truthfully did not know when he would forgive him, which added to his sullen mood. James decided he would go talk to the Lupin boy during lunch and said not one word to Sirius or even Peter as he left the room that morning for an earlier breakfast than normal. He wanted to eat alone and be done in the Great Hall before his fellow sixth years could come down and possibly probe him again. Sirius felt ten times worse than he had the previous day and partly for the same reason as James—he had to face Remus and let him know what he had done. To also note that his best friend still wanted nothing to do with him added to his misery and made him fully realize just _how_ much he had messed up; the two of them had never been angry at one another since meeting six years ago, so this was new and monumental.

James kept to himself in classes for the most part and separated himself from Peter and Sirius wholly, which his peers definitely noticed. The other sixth year lions sadly concluded that what had transpired the succeeding night continued to affect their three Housemates, and they elected Dorcas and Frank to try to reach out to them again to figure out what went wrong. The Longbottom boy approached his two roommates towards the end of Charms and inquired about it gingerly and received an answer from Sirius, who relayed that he had performed a very foolish prank on Snape that involved Remus in a way and James had been livid upon finding out and stopping it.

"Remus?," Frank questioned, "What… what exactly was it?"

"Enough to ruin it a lot of things," Sirius told him, sighing deeply, "Look Frank—I don't want to go into detail, really. Just know I made a big mistake, and that's why James is upset."

"Okay… yeah, no problem," he uttered, nodding, "Thanks for letting me know that much; you didn't have to."

Peter gave Frank an apologetic look as he went back to report what he had learned. He knew their other friends were merely concerned but he himself was not entirely sure of what had occurred. He knew Sirius' side of the story because the other teenager told him of it yesterday, but he still needed to hear James' portion, which was much more detailed. He wondered how Remus would react as well, and if he would write Sirius off like James was doing. Dorcas attempted to speak to James in Care of Magical Creatures, which had been relocated to a classroom on the first floor due to the rain, where he sat in a corner and appeared stony, glaring at Sirius (who was forced to be with Dorcas since James refused his company). Michelle was with the captain when the Meadowes girl approached and she was trying to soothe her boyfriend while at the same time figure out what precisely was wrong. She knew he was angry with Sirius but nothing more, for her would not talk to her about the situation.

"James." Dorcas said cautiously. He gave her a hard look while the Ravenclaw surveyed her blankly.

"Did that prat send you to talk to me?" he gruffly asked.

"No! Not at all," she assured, "I just… wanted to make sure you were okay. You never spoke to anyone after last night."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. What exactly happened, James?"

"You're with that dolt—why don't you ask him what happened?" James replied, irritated.

"He just said he tried to pull a prank on Snape that included Remus, and that's why you're upset." Dorcas reported.

"I had to stop it so it _is_ why I'm right pissed, but more because he showed that he doesn't care about his friends by doing it! It was selfish."

"Well, what was it that—"

"Dorcas, I'm not going to tell you all about it okay? Can you lot live with that? You know that this is his mistake; that should be enough," the Potter boy remarked, cutting her off.

"We're just confused, James. And as your friends we're worried!" she stated, sounding a bit defensive herself.

"Well there's no need to be, okay? It's ended! Drop it!"

James then got up abruptly and left the two witches, aggravated by the topic being mentioned again. Kettleburn attuned to them and commented for them "to continue working, please", not realizing there had been a small disturbance, while Michelle peered heatedly at Dorcas. She had come over here and riled James up again, after the blonde had been actively working to keep him calm!

"I wasn't trying to make him cross!" the Gryffindor alerted, furrowing her brow and throwing a hand up as she turned to return to her own seat.

"Well you did a good job anyway!" Michelle answered.

James' plan to visit Remus during lunch did not come to pass. He went to the Hospital Wing as scheduled, not even feeling as though he had an appetite so he was not missing out, but when he arrived Madam Pomfrey would not allow him inside.

"Remus already has a visitor," she notified, standing in the doorway.

"He does? Who is it?" the captain pondered, puzzled.

"Mr. Black."

"_Oh_," he uttered, feeling his countenance change to reflect the disdain he felt.

"And it has been requested they speak exclusively, so no other visitors as the moment," the nurse revealed, "Professor Dumbledore's wishes, in fact."

"I see…" James wondered why the headmaster had made this specific request…

"But what's more, the poor boy is all torn up! Bruises and injuries on his body that haven't been that severe in ages!... it must have been an awful night, the lovely dear…" Pomfrey commented, shaking her head as she went back inside and closed the door.

"He was alone, that's why." James mumbled, starting at the stone floor.

The Chaser did not walk to the Great Hall since he was not hungry, and instead opted for Gryffindor Tower knowing it would be essentially barren. Consequently, when he stepped inside he was surprised to see Peter sitting in an armchair and gazing at the active fireplace as if in thought.

"Wormtail." James said, moving toward him with his hands in his pockets.

"James!," Peter declared, jumping a bit and turning to look at him, "There you are!"

"You didn't want lunch?"

"No… not very hungry."

"That's a first," the captain joked, giving a small, fleeting smile as he stood on his friend's left.

"Yeah, well… you were gone and Sirius was too… he went to talk to Moony." Peter told him, appearing hesitant of mentioning Sirius in front of him.

"So I heard." James muttered darkly, glancing at the hearth.

"You… you spoke to him?"

"No—Pomfrey. I went to go see Remus and she told me he was in there."

"Yeah, Dumbledore made him go," the Pettigrew boy nodded, "It's one of the conditions he gave him."

"Conditions?" the Potter boy inquired.

"Yeah. Sirius told me what happened when he met with the headmaster last night, before and after you left."

"So, he told you about his punishment?"

"Yes." Peter confirmed, grimacing a tad. James then let out a frustrated, deep sigh as he removed his hands from his pockets and sat down in the chair that was closest to him.

"Everything is messed up, Peter! I am so bloody pissed off at that dolt! What the hell was he thinking?!," he exclaimed, appearing vexed, "Sending Snape to Remus, who was fully transformed? I know we don't like him, but come on! It was a disaster!"

"I know." Peter mumbled understandingly.

"Things are terrible and Snape wasn't even harmed; can you imagine if Remus _had_…" There was brief silence as James trailed off, shaking his head. Peter glanced at him and then carefully asked:

"So… what happened, o-on your end? What was it like going after Snape?"

The captain gave him a piercing look and did not give an immediate response, which made Peter think he was not going to tell him anything. However, James launched into the tale some moments later and informed his friend of what had occurred in the willow's tunnel. When he finished, he resolved on telling the story only once more if he could help it, and that was to Remus himself.

"He _saw_ you two?" the Pettigrew boy marveled, staring at his dorm mate.

"Yeah."

"What was that like?"

"Completely terrifying," James attested, peering at him, "I don't want to see Moony while I'm a human, often. It was..."

"Merlin," Peter uttered quietly, "Sirius… well, I-I think Sirius feels awful for what he did. He's been miserable since last night."

"Oh, is that all? The poor dear!" This came out scathing and totally sarcastic.

"I wonder what he's telling Remus…"

James glanced at Peter, now curious of something himself.

"So what exactly did Dumbledore give him as punishment?" he mumbled.

"You could ask Sirius yourself." Peter pointed out hopefully.

"I'm _not_ talking to him, okay?"

"I know, just thought I'd try," Peter murmured in defeat, "Well, I'm not sure that I remember everything, because there was a lot, but—"

"Uh, never mind Wormtail! No worries… I'll find out sooner or later." James interjected, deciding on finding a more reliable source. Peter nodded.

"So what do we do now?" he pondered slowly.

"What until we can see Remus, I reckon," the other answered, exhaling.

This so happened to be right after dinner ended, which Peter and James took an early leave from so they could catch the Lupin boy in the common room whenever he returned. Consequently, Sirius seemed to all but disappear after his lunch time meeting with Remus; he attended his classes but was reclusive from everyone, even Peter, not saying a single word, but when classes were over no one knew where he went (and James did not care). The other sixth years resolved on not pushing any of the Marauders for more information since they were in shifty emotional states, but it was difficult for them to observe their turmoil from afar.

"Sirius has been missing all day." Marlene commented sadly. Mary nodded.

"It's so frustrating! I just want to know what happened." Dorcas remarked.

"Being in the same room as them tonight when they're all back… it is going to be interesting." Frank said.

"I just hope this doesn't last too long." Alice stated, her face in her left hand. Lily looked down at her plate of food. Maybe, maybe, Remus would be willing to say something…

When Remus walked into the common room having been released from the infirmary, he appeared to walk in a bit of a daze while wearing a blank expression on his pale face. Peter and James spotted him instantly, abandoned their lifeless game of Gobstones, and shot to their feet, starting at him apprehensively. The common room was not very populated yet since most students were walking to the dormitories with the termination of dinner, and they were the only sixth years present.

"Moony!" Peter remarked, a tad anxiously. He gazed at them and they observed that he did not look very well, at all; he was pallid and had noticeable bruises on his face and neck, and Merlin only knew what condition his arms and chest were in. Remus had not looked this poorly since their ability to perform their Animagi skills had come to pass.

"Remus, you…," James timidly began, "You don't look well, mate." The prefect peered down at himself and gave a tiny nod, as if implying that he was well aware of this.

"Where is he?" he croaked, glancing around the room.

"We don't know." Peter answered, knowing whom he was speaking of.

"And it doesn't matter. We've been waiting for you; we couldn't see you earlier," the captain relayed, gazing at his friend.

There was some silence in which Remus did not respond but stared at the carpet absent mindedly, and Peter threw James a worried look.

"Can we… go upstairs? Before everyone we know gets here? We can talk there." Remus mumbled.

"O-Of course!" Peter consented as the captain nodded earnestly.

"Let's go." James stated, allowing Remus to lead the way.

When the three Marauders entered their empty room and shut the door, having not uttered one word on the way there, the prefect sat on the edge of his four poster and cradled his head in his hands. His friends stood near him with immense sympathy.

"I have not felt this hollow since you lot found out what I was, and I thought you'd hate me. I feel like being in the presence of a Dementor would be better than feeling like this," he began, speaking down, "Anger wasn't even on my mind when I found out. It's like it wasn't good enough—I went straight to misery! I thought changing in_to_ a werewolf was the worst pain I could feel, but compared to this... I dunno." Peter appeared stricken with pity while James felt his mixture of fury and sadness return suddenly.

"I always fear people finding out what I am, but I never thought it'd be due to someone who was supposed to be my friend," Remus continued, putting his hands between his knees and peering at them sorrowfully. James knew what he meant, "I wondered why Sirius came alone earlier today, and I wanted to ask why you three weren't with me last night. I can tell, even in that state, when something is off… but then, I noticed he looked really down and he told me he had to tell me something, said he had messed up. He didn't look at me while he admitted what he had done, and I just felt like… like the world had stopped."

"We didn't believe him at first." Peter revealed.

"Didn't want to." James added.

"I didn't either, but I knew he wasn't lying and it made things so much worse." Remus said, glancing at them.

"How did you react?" the Pettigrew boy wondered in a low voice.

"I didn't say a word… I couldn't. I stared at him at first but towards the end I just looked ahead at nothing, like I'd been Stunned. That's what it felt like anyway."

"What'd he say when he was done talking to you?" the captain inquired, looking at him.

"He noticed I wasn't saying anything, then he just started apologizing for it all and saying how horrible he felt, how stupid he felt, how sorry. I think he meant it but I still kept quiet. Then he told me that you stopped it all, James, and what his meeting with Dumbledore was like...," Remus explained, mumbling a bit. There was brief silence but then he peered up at the Potter boy, "Will you tell me what happened, James? With you?"

James felt he but owed it to the Lupin boy to contribute to all sides of this unbelievable misfortune centered around him so he nodded and told his part, while Peter listened to it for the second time just as willingly. Remus nodded unconsciously when James ended and set his eyes on the floor again, fiddling with his comforter.

"Thank you, so much," he remarked, "For going after Snape, to try to stop him and keep him alive, and for stopping me from hurting you two. I mean—thank you James."

"No need to thank me Moony," the captain alerted kindly.

"He knows now though… Snape."

"B-But Dumbledore swore him to keep it secret!" Peter commented, glancing at the two.

"Yes, Sirius said that. And he told me his punishment, as if it'd make me feel better," Remus mentioned. This was the part James was interested in—Sirius' consequences—and he did not have to ask what they were because Remus continued a moment later, without prompting, "He's banned from Hogsmeade for the rest of sixth year. Banned from Quidditch matches until further notice. He has weekly detention until Dumbledore decides to end them. He had to apologize to me and he has to apologize to Snape, and he has to write your parents about what he did, James. He said Dumbledore considered expelling him for a moment, but explained that he did not want to send him into a world where his family hates him, he has no full education and You-Know-Who is running free. He would have had nowhere to go." Peter nodded dismally as James digested the information. Expulsion, huh? That would have been… well, it _may_ have been too harsh, but James thought his current punishment could use something more to fit the serious crime.

"Did he seem like he thought his punishment was unfair?" the captain posited.

"No," the prefect replied, shaking his head, "I don't think he cared about it. He just said the only thing he wanted was my forgiveness; the guilt he felt was worse than anything else, any punishment, he said."

"What did you say?" Peter asked.

"Nothing."

"_Nothing_?"

"Nothing," Remus confirmed, "I didn't say anything because there didn't seem to be enough words to describe how I felt. And I was in complete shock! I think my silence made him feel that much worse."

"He left without you saying one word?" James pondered, thinking this would have been reasonable.

"Towards the very end I told him to please get away from my bed and leave me alone, and that was it. He left the Hospital Wing and I haven't seen him since.

"So… that's it? You don't… forgive him?" Peter inquired tentatively, after a stint of silence. Remus stared at the Pettigrew boy as James looked at him with pure disbelief.

"He exposed my secret Peter, to Snape, of all people. He did it without my permission and the worst thing is he would have had me _kill_ him! And he thought it was a _joke_!" the Lupin boy declared, standing up.

"I-I know! I-I'm sorry! I-I j-just thought… his apology… I t-think he means it." Peter stammered, shrinking back a tad.

"I can't even acknowledge that he once claimed to be my friend. I have absolutely nothing to say to him," Remus notified, "Forgiveness is nowhere on my mind. I can't even _think_ like that yet."

There was silence. Remus sat back down and Peter shifted nervously on his feet, glancing at him once. James felt a surge of loyalty toward the prefect while also a new wave of anger for Sirius; he felt the same exact way as Remus, and it was a relief to talk to him about this, but what were they supposed to do now? They were in such an uncomfortable situation…

"Are you going to be okay with having him as a roommate now?" James questioned with folded arms.

"I don't care. Like I said, I don't have anything to say to him," the Lupin boy answered quietly, studying the carpet.

"What does this mean, for us? For the Marauders?" Peter pondered, sounding flustered.

"I don't want to think about that right now, Peter." Remus admitted. The Pettigrew boy appeared defeated as James looked at him.

"And Snape…," the Chaser commenced slowly, "He's a part of this now."

"And _that_ is all that's in my head." Remus attested, leaning back on his bed and covering his face.

"You should talk to Dumbledore about that, Moony. Let him know that you're worried."

"I know. I am, actually. I got a letter from him before I left the infirmary—he wants to meet with me tomorrow, during my first free period."

"Good." James nodded. Peter remained quiet and was gazing at the floor sullenly.

"I wasn't able to sleep ever since I transformed back. It was a really rough night," Remus alerted, voice raw once more, "I just want to go to sleep right now, if it's all right with you mates. I'll have to deal with this in the morning, so I just want my mind to be blank right now."

"Of course. We understand."

"Thanks," he mumbled as Peter ambled to the door.

"We'll see you later Remus." James bid, following the other wizard out the room. Once outside, the captain let out a heavy sigh as two fourth years walked by them headed for their own room.

"This is all wrecked." Peter stated.

"And it's because of one person."

"I really do think Sirius is sorry, James. He made a big mistake, yeah, but do you think ignoring him is going to help?" he asked, peering at him. James' countenance became irritated and he responded:

"I don't _care_ if it helps or not—he deserves it! Do you understand how big all of this is, Peter? And if you're so worried about _his_ feelings, then _you _can talk to him for the three of us!"

James then left the landing and his friend behind, to go possibly roam the castle while he let his hectic thoughts ruminate in his head.

* * *

A/N: A fairly long chapter, and it only covered a day. Ha. See you all for the next posting!


	25. An Enemy's Secret

A/N: It has been months since I posted and I do apologize sincerely, dear readers (if I have any left, lol). I was finishing my crazy spring semester of school and I had a lot of personal stuff all going on at once, so I was just trying to survive the intense uphill battle. It was very trying. But! Things have settled a great deal so I am back to writing, yay. I'm happy about that.

* * *

**Chapter 25 **

**Who's To Say?**

Severus spent the day after his run in with Remus much in the same state as James—very furious, yet minus the occasional sadness and with utter, starch, fuming silence. Snape said very little to his Housemates all throughout Wednesday and let his intense anger cloud his mind as he primarily focused on what had transpired the previous night. He got through meals and classes in a routine fashion but he was so consumed with hatred and outrage that he stayed exclusively within the confines of his thoughts. His roommates were initially somewhat curious to know where he had been most of Tuesday night but when he curtly told them he was forbidden to say (by order of the headmaster), they dropped the subject with indifference and did not pay Snape much more mind.

Severus was nothing short of livid about the entire situation. _He_ had been the victim, _he_ had been the one sent to his death, and it seemed as though Dumbledore was on the side of those bastard Gryffindors! His hunch about Lupin being a werewolf had _finally_ been confirmed and his swift contentment should have been justified, but yet it was not—he was being mandated by the headmaster to remain completely silent about the revelation or face dire consequences himself! He could not even tell another person! He was being given an ultimatum, the victim in this! And Lupin and Potter were getting away with no reprimands whatsoever, which seemed utterly insane to Snape. They were just as guilty as Black in the Slytherin's eyes and he wanted to see them all rot, like they deserved! Dumbledore said Potter did a great thing by "saving" Severus' life but he could _not_ agree with this; the last thing he wanted was for that prat to receive more praise and to be associated with James Potter, of all people, as the one who helped him. Snape was beginning to bitterly wish the werewolf had simply ripped him to shreds, because it would have been better than dealing with this. Forced to keep an enemy's secret… the irony!

He hated Black, he hated Potter, he hated Lupin, and he resented Dumbledore. He wanted vengeance. The only potentially promising thing Snape observed on Wednesday in his fuming silence was that the Marauders were hardly seen and definitely not as a unit. Potter _had_ been quite angry with Black as he recalled, so he was assuming the perfect bosom buddies were not going to get over this instantly. If it turned out to eat away at and eventually destroy their annoyingly close friendship then Snape would find _some_ peace of mind and feel less violated, and it would be quite amusing to watch. However, their break up would not be totally enough to appease him because he felt that he needed to pay them back personally, and he wanted it to be painful.

"Walton, I may need your help." Snape alerted that night as he paced in the common room, finally speaking.

"With what?," Mulciber replied, sounding a bit aggravated with the request. He let the book he was reading continue to obscure his face, "And finally decided to talk, have you?"

"It involves revenge—years worth of revenge." Snape explained coldly, ignoring the last comment. Mulciber's book slowly lowered to reveal his countenance as he peered at the other Slytherin, whom had ceased pacing.

"I'm listening," he said closing the tome.

"I want to plan something big for the Gryffindors—I want to get them like we never have before." Severus revealed with crossed arms.

"Sounds interesting…," Mulciber half smiled, "Well, if this is the case, I'd be more than willing to help you Severus!" Snape nodded once.

"I don't want to rush it. I want it to be well thought out and guarantee those morons suffer," he elaborated.

"As it should be! I myself have realized we have been so easy on them this year."

"They'll never dream of messing with me again." Snape muttered, looking at nearby second years doing homework.

"You know Snape, it's times like these that remind me why you're a Slytherin." Mulciber grinned.

"And I want to prove to them why I follow the Dark Lord!"

"Beautifully put!"

Remus met with the headmaster on Thursday as scheduled and James had to wait anxiously until their next shared class together to hear what Dumbledore had told the prefect. Conversely, it was not as detailed or eventful as the captain imagined it would be but Remus did appear to be somewhat less stressed out and worried.

"He just kept assuring me that Snape is going to keep quiet about it, because he'll have to answer to Dumbledore if even one little thing slips out," the Lupin boy relayed as he and James sat at their desk, working on the day's Charms assignment.

"Did he say what he'd do to him?" Peter inquired, standing in front of them holding a piece of parchment. He had gone to get the class' instructions for its next essay as a distraction to speak to his dorm mates.

"Essentially, that he would be expelled if he told."

"And that's enough to stop him?" James mumbled darkly.

"I think he threatened him with something else as well, but he didn't really say much more." Remus affirmed.

"And it's good enough for you?" Peter pondered.

"It is, actually. I trust Dumbledore totally—Snape won't say anything. Now, he's probably going to treat me 100 times worse, but…"

"Well, as long as you feel a little better, Moony." James said.

"I do… he seemed really sympathetic about the whole thing…" the prefect mentioned, trailing off. Peter nodded and then vocalized:

"I should get back to my desk, I reckon. Flitwick has looked at me more than once."

"Don't tell him anything I told you; I don't want him knowing." Remus alerted quietly. He was referring to Sirius, whom Peter was sitting with and was sending occasional glances in their direction.

The Pettigrew boy studied Remus for a moment and then nodded sadly before going to the back of the room where his seat was.

"I really can't believe Wormtail is taking _his_ feelings into account, like he was so kind to do the same for you!" James grumbled, shaking his head as he picked up his wand. Remus said nothing.

The rest of the school was now aware there was something wrong with the dynamics of the Marauders—something had happened. Many thought the previous day had simply been an off day for the boys and that they had not been seen together for whatever reason or two, but now that they were all back and it was a new day, something was definitely amiss. Only three of them at breakfast with each other that morning and when Sirius finally arrived to the hall he was undoubtedly ignored by Remus and snubbed by James; he resorted to eating dejectedly by first years while Peter peered down at him guiltily. Remus' indifference to Sirius also told the other sixth year lions that their friends truly were suffering in their friendship with little hope of reconciliation at this stage, and it seemed to be split down the middle. Who knew that just as their year had finally begun to form an alliance between all ten of them, for the first time ever, that the bond would be damaged between the Marauders themselves? It was indeed disheartening to witness, and they could only hope the riff would not be permanent.

Snape studied the Marauders that day to see if their behaviors would change because of the re-addition of Remus, and he was a bit interested to see that they continued to roam the castle without Black (or at least Potter and the werewolf did). The Slytherin directly crossed their path again since the night of the full moon right as the students were leaving the room for Transfiguration—the boys arrived to the entry around the same time. There was instant tension and explicit staring between the three as their words momentarily failed them and their emotions took over; Snape surely felt his hatred.

"Severus—" Remus commenced carefully, breaking through the silence first. But the snake cut across him.

"What happened has done nothing but increase my hate and disgust for you, _Lupin_!," he barked, glowering at them, "All of you!"

"_We_ had nothing to do with it, Snape! This stupidity was all on Sirius, so you need to take it up with him!" James retorted forcefully.

"Bullocks! You were _all_ in on it, I know it! You may have Dumbledore convinced but not me!"

"Oh, come off it!"

"Think whatever you want Snape. But I _am_ sorry you had to go through that." Remus offered, peering at him gravely. The Slytherin gazed back at him with outrage as his mouth fell open, brows heavily furrowed.

"I don't want your bloody, meaningless apology!," Snape heatedly relayed in a low voice, "You don't even have the right to address me, freak!"

"I thought I told you to watch yourself!" the captain growled, advancing closer to the snake. Remus' face had become stony as he put his arm out to keep James out of their foe's path.

"Boys, clear the doorway!" McGonagall ordered from her position near her desk. She had observed them in such close proximity to one another and knew no good could come from it. Snape glanced at her and then refocused his powerful glare on the lions, leaving them with a few last words:

"I don't owe any of you buffoons a damn thing, including _you_ Potter. You didn't save my life! Take it up with Black, you say? Trust me, I will. And then I'm coming for the rest of you!"

The Slytherin then left the classroom in a huff, clearly having the last say on the matter.

"I didn't think it was possible to hate him even more!" James commented, musing his hair from frustration.

"Apparently he feels the same way." Remus murmured.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team had practice again Thursday evening and the players were a bit reticent to see what mood their captain was going to be in. They had not really interacted with him since their last practice, and that was before the mysterious incident that had caused him to distance himself from his best friend and be easily irritated. There were no visitors from any House this practice and James was rather formal with his teammates in the beginning while he went over their plays for the evening. The typical playfulness and comfort the athletes normally experienced was missing this time, and when they were finished an hour and a half later in the locker room, Kirby spoke on what they were all thinking.

"James, we all know something happened between you and your mates, a-and we just hope you're okay," he told him cautiously. The Potter boy looked up from silently putting his broom polish in his locker and peered at the Beater, then looked at the other five who were studying him. Elizabeth and Rodrigo nodded.

"Yeah, Jimmy. It's weird seeing you like this." Amy attested. Dorcas merely gazed at him.

"I know," James acknowledged, closing his locker door, "I just… I'll be fine as long as we stay focused in Quidditch and don't stumble."

It may not have been the answer they were expecting to hear but it was good enough for the time being, since they knew he would not say more, and the team slowly began leaving the locker room with the realization that it could not do much to fix its captain's demeanor. Dorcas was the last to leave with Amy, and this newfound riff was particularly hard for her because of the silence from the boys. She was significantly close to James and Sirius so being uninformed about their major fight was very difficult to endure, and she had rather thought that James would be willing to talk to her about it.

Lily was in the company of a stoic Remus herself that night as the Gryffindors surveyed the school on their appointed rounds, and her concern for her friend led her to speak to him (or attempt to).

"Remus, are you okay?," the red head asked, peering at him with kind worry, "I mean, I know that's probably a stupid question—you don't seem to be very okay." She had interrupted the silence between them.

"Yeah… I can admit I'm not," he notified, giving a deep sigh.

"So, something really happened between you and your best mates? It's just so hard to believe…"

"Yes," the Lupin boy muttered, "What have you heard?"

"Not too much. Potter said that Black used you somehow to play a prank on Snape, and that it was serious. Black essentially said the same thing, that you weren't aware of it," she explained.

"Yes… that's about it." Remus confirmed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. It was quiet. Lily glanced at him; how should she proceed?

"I—" Lily commenced. But she was interrupted by her Housemate who had decided to speak at the same time.

"I can't even _look_ at Sirius, Lily. I don't understand why he did it," he stated, sounding vulnerable and sad. The witch gazed at him with immense sympathy and her train of thought switched gears at his declaration.

"I obviously don't know what he did and I'm not asking you to tell me, but I really hope you get through this Remus. If you need a friend to talk to who isn't a Marauder, or if it gets to be too much, I'm here," she told him, squeezing his upper arm tenderly as they ceased walking and she looked at him. He peered back, and his eyes displayed gratitude.

"Thank you Lily—it means a lot. I'm glad you're my friend," Remus answered. She nodded and the pair slowly began walking once more, "And James… he surprised me, yet again. I've known he's an amazing friend, since second year, but… he's so loyal!" The Muggleborn glanced at him curiously.

"So he… he was able to put a stop to it, then?" the red head posited.

"Yes, thank Merlin. If it hadn't been for him, it would've been a complete disaster."

There was more silence as they tread the castle's stone floors but it was brief.

"Do you think this will affect the friendship between you four for very long?" Lily quietly wondered.

"I really don't know." Remus attested, sighing and peering ahead. More fleeting silence.

"Well, for the record, I hope it doesn't," the witch said.

The following day marked the end of the school week and brought with it mild snow. Sirius continued to be slighted by Remus and James and this only increased his misery and isolation, while Peter tried to console him and spent much of his own time with the outcast. Being the third day in a row of a resolute refusal to even speak with him, Sirius had given up his hope of his friends forgiving what he had done. Michelle requested two hours of James' time that evening after dinner because she felt that they had spent little time together during the week, and this was indeed true, so he consented and was planning on this instead of attending the Slug Club meeting at eight o'clock. (The Ravenclaw also wanted to strive to cheer her boyfriend up some because he just had not been himself the past few days).

When it was mid-day and during lunch, James was found slumping somewhat in an armchair closer to one of the common room's windows. He and Remus had returned from eating ten minutes previously and the prefect was upstairs presumably in his four poster, because he had said that he wanted to nap shortly before the next class. The captain surmised that Peter and the traitor were still consuming food in the Great Hall but he was not brooding over this; he was brooding over the entire situation they were all in, how terrible it made him feel, and how he was not even speaking to his closest friend. James' face appeared to sag a tad under all the duress of his emotions, and for the first time he was truly processing them.

James suddenly felt something brush against the bottom of his left leg and he jumped from being startled, coming out of his mental reverie. When he looked down he saw nothing but then an audible 'meow' rang out, and he furrowed his brows slightly. The Potter boy leaned over to the right side of his chair and peered at the floor, only to see a white and brown cat prancing on the floor with its paws.

"It was you, then," he remarked, talking to the animal, "Who do you belong to? You look familiar…" The feline meowed again and then turned around and rubbed its back against James' leg, purring briefly.

"How nice of you," he uttered, bending over some to pet the newcomer warmly. The cat allowed it and flicked its tail back and forth as it was stroked.

"Autumn! Autumn, where are you? Where did you go?," a female voice called. James looked up and saw Lily roaming around the room apparently in search of something.

"Oooh, ruddy animal!" she murmured, unknowingly pursing her lips like her sister normally did. The witch then turned in a half circle and her gaze fell on James, who was positioned next to a window and petting her young cat.

"Potter! And Autumn—there you are!" Lily announced, surprise and minor relief in her voice. He looked up at her when she stated his name. She walked over to the boy.

"So you found my cat," the prefect cordially noted, smiling faintly.

"She actually found me," the captain responded, "I knew that I recognized her but I just haven't seen her much, so I didn't realize she was yours." Autumn meowed and trotted over to Lily as if welcoming her owner, rubbing against her leg.

"Yes, she doesn't come down here a lot. I was reading upstairs with the door open a bit and she just slipped out." The red head picked the cat up. James nodded in a languid fashion.

"Well, I suppose she likes you if you were petting her! She's rather picky with people." Lily quipped. He gave a short lived rendition of a smile but remained quiet, and in the next instance he was staring dolefully at the carpet. She studied him for a moment and observed that he seemed to be quite dejected, which caused her to feel pity and a notion to say something to him. But what? This was Potter, not Remus! Where should she begin, and would she feel awkward speaking about an emotional topic with him?

"Are you all right Potter?," Well, it was not wonderfully profound but it was a start. He peered at her rapidly and she continued, "Obviously, everything is not great between you and your mates right now, but how are you doing? You look down…" Lily was now resting on the arm of a chair in close proximity to him while Autumn sat contently in her lap.

"Er, I… I…," James began, feeling taken aback. Lily was inquiring about his well being!, "I, uh… I am, actually. It's a little tough right now." He exhaled as she nodded.

"I talked to Remus. I don't know the details but I'm really sorry this happened to you lot," the Muggleborn notified sincerely.

"Oh, _you_ have nothing to be sorry about—other people surely do. But, thank you, Evans."

"Well, I see how this is affecting all of you so it does make me sorry."

The Potter boy smiled to himself.

"Yeah…" he mumbled.

"And at least _you_ put a stop to it. You had the courage to do that." Lily said.

"I wasn't left much of a choice." James mentioned, chuckling once.

"Remus really appreciated it. He told me what an amazing friend you are."

He surveyed her with moderate shock.

"Moony's the great one… and Sirius obviously forgot that when he decided to be an absolute arsehole by risking everything."

She was curious to know what 'everything' was but knew better than to ask, so simply nodded understandingly.

"You're really angry with him. How do you deal with being his roommate at the moment?" the prefect wondered, looking at him.

"It takes a lot of concentration to ignore him and not react by using my wand!" he revealed, scoffing slightly and shaking his head.

"Do you foresee talking to him again anytime soon?"

"I really don't know… I've _never_ felt like this towards him. Since we've been friends we've only gotten in one fight that I can recall, and that was during third year and lasted overnight. By the next morning everything was fine again. So this… this is completely new. Not being around him just feels so very out of place—I'm not used to it. But I can't get over how angry I am with him!" James explained, peering at her while saying the last few words. The genuineness of his statement struck a chord in Lily and she knew it had come from a very personal place within him, which shed light on a part of his persona she was not familiar with.

"That's very honest of you, Potter… this has to be hard on you," the red head replied softly, "He made an awful mistake from what you've said, and that can't be ignored. But… just from knowing you four, for six years now, I know he cares about Remus _and_ you and is probably very remorseful. It may take some time but I believe things will be okay in the end."

The Potter boy remained silent for a handful of moments, staring at the carpeted floor with his hands hanging in between his lap. He appeared to be in thorough deliberation; when he finally looked up at her there was very faint hope on his countenance, as if he had not thought about this.

"So, are you going to the Slug Club meeting tonight?" she questioned, a small, phantom smile on her features. Autumn meowed.

"Oh. Uh… no, I don't think I am," he answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah… to be truthful I forgot about it. I have something to do tonight anyway, and I don't really feel like going."

"I see. Well, I think I'll be the only Gryffindor there! You won't be there, Jessica is ill in the infirmary, and, well… I doubt Black will go." Lily commented. The last part came across as meek, as though she did not want to offend James.

"You actually want to go?" James asked.

"I suppose," she sighed, "Something has to be wrong with me…"

"Well, if you need support, specifically against the Slytherins, then I'll be more than happy to Apparate where you are," he joked.

"So you've figured out how to Apparate within Hogwarts, then?" the prefect half smirked.

"Yes, since fourth year. And I've known how to Apparate since I was six; I actually don't need the lessons."

"Okay Potter!," Lily laughed. He grinned lightly as she stood up, "Well, I've got homework to finish since I put it off. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah…. Good talking to you, Evans," the captain bid, half smiling.

She returned the smile and then turned back to go up to her room with her pet in her arms. As she thought about it, Lily realized that she had been a bit disappointed upon discovering that James would not be at the Slug Club meeting, a definite first; she had never previously been let down that James Potter would _not_ be in her presence.

The next day was free of precipitation of any kind falling from the sky, frozen or otherwise, but it was heavily overcast and the grounds were quite muddy. During mid-day James found himself outside the library's doors talking with his girlfriend, both of whom had left the library after finding a book for him needed in Potions. Remus was spending some time with Alice and Frank in the common room and Peter was presumably providing Sirius with some company but James had not bothered to verify this assumption. As the couple stood conversing, a trio of familiar sixth years was walking towards the library's entrance and they took notice.

"James!" Dorcas remarked as they approached.

"Oh, hiya!," he answered, turning, "Dorcas, Hamilton, Evans." Lily smiled politely as Marcus nodded in greeting.

"Hello Michelle." Marcus hailed.

"Hi Marcus," the blonde said, eyes flickering to Dorcas momentarily.

"Leaving or coming?" the Meadowes girl posited, peering at James.

"Leaving, actually." Michelle responded, taking her boyfriend's hand.

"Yeah…," he concurred, "Oh—Evans!"

"Yes?" Lily prompted at his change in thought.

"I didn't say it yesterday, but, thank you—for the talk. It actually made me feel a little better."

"Oh! Erm, you're welcome, Potter!" she told him, a bit surprised. He grinned briefly and then bid the trio farewell as he and Michelle pulled away.

"I'll see you, Dorcas." James noted. The Ravenclaw witch frowned at this somewhat but she was more interested to hear about his talk with Lily.

"You talked with Evans yesterday? About what?" she pondered while they traveled down the corridor.

"Just a bit about what Sirius did. She asked if I was okay."

"Really? About _that_? With Evans?"

"Yeah. She made me think a little," he reported.

"You haven't fully opened up about what happened to anyone besides Remus, not even me, so of all people—" the witch commenced.

"Whoa, Michelle," James interrupted, raising an eyebrow, "I didn't say I poured out my heart and soul and told her everything. Like I said last night, the only ones who know all about it are the ones who were there that night and that's the way it stays. But, talking to Evans did help me some." She nodded slowly, having been stopped in her tracks and then said:

"I understand…. And if you felt better afterwards, that's all that matters."

Back by the library, Marcus and Dorcas were just as intrigued as the Ravenclaw. They stayed outside because they knew better than to enter Pince's domain while talking intensely.

"So?" the Chaser prompted, peering at Lily.

"So what?" the Muggleborn responded.

"Your talk with James! I didn't know about it."

"Well I didn't reckon advertisement would be necessary…"

"Lily," Dorcas stated, noticing her friend was smirking a tad, "You and James aren't known for your deep, personal conversations with each other! So what happened?" Marcus remained silent, because he did not think he was in a position with Lily to add anything, but listened raptly.

"I just saw Potter in the common room looking miserable, so I felt I had to say something. We just talked a bit about what's going on between the Marauders," the red head revealed.

"You talked about that?" Dorcas asked, sounding shocked.

"Yes…"

"But he's been closed mouth to everyone! How did _you_ get him to speak? He spoke to you before anyone else?!"

"Well he didn't tell me anything new. I just asked him how he was feeling and it kind of stayed on that." Lily replied.

"Oh. Well, that was nice of you Lily! Checking on Potter, making sure he's not gone mental…" Marcus pointed out.

"He _is_ my Housemate, whose human side I'm beginning to see now," she smiled, at the Hufflepuff's quip.

"Let's get inside now, yeah?"

"That _was_ nice," Dorcas noted as Marcus opened a door, referring to Lily's gesture, "It's just… James hasn't even talked about his feelings yet to the rest of us." The Meadowes girl was now having a difficult time fathoming how _Lily_ had gotten her captain to open up about the issue he was currently grappling with and why he was still being so guarded when it came to her.

* * *

As January quickly ended and February made itself known, the raw stiffness and separation between the Marauders continued but with marked differences as the days passed. The group appeared to be acutely divided into stable pairs: Remus and James spent time together while they saw less and less of Peter, as he was giving _his_ time to a lonely Sirius. The Black boy had sadly resigned himself to the fact that this was the way of things now and knew the other two would not hear a word from him; he had become much more withdrawn but it was noted that Marlene was steadily spending time with him in any attempt to give him some solace. James, on the other hand, was losing his mood swings and developing an even temperament again, but it was surely not as cheerful and lively as it had once been. In Care of Magical Creatures James had reassigned himself as Michelle's project partner, leaving Sirius with Dorcas, while in Potions the separation had caused multiple changes: James chose Frank which moved Alice with Lily, and Marlene became Sirius' new partner. Remus too was being rid of his overwhelming emotions but Frank was still one to report that the room was unbearably silent and unfamiliar when all five were present.

Lily's 17th birthday was on the 30th of January and she was quite excited when the day arrived, as were her roommates—she was the first of the girls to become an adult. After a morning of opening gifts from her friends and parents (which included a lovely white gold necklace courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Evans), she sat at Gryffindor's table eating breakfast.

"It does feel a _bit_ weird, though," she observed, spinning her spoon in her tea mug.

"What d'you mean?" Mary inquired, arms folded on the table.

"My birthday, and the fact that half of our House's year is torn."

"Oh, yes." Alice nodded.

"I dunno… the boys' fight just makes everyone feel a little down, you know?" Lily commented.

"Yeah, and it's partly because _they_ made people feel better!" Marlene remarked, frowning slightly. The red head thought about Sirius' birthday the previous month and how they had celebrated together, which now seemed like an eternity ago.

"Hey," Dorcas started, smiling, "Remember your other birthdays, Lily, and how James acted on them? His outrageous displays of affection in honor of your birth?"

"Oh Merlin!..." the prefect muttered, shaking her head and biting back a smile. All of her roommates laughed heartily.

"No one could forget them!" Mary grinned.

"Like last year, when he had 16 bouquets of flowers for you in the most public and inconvenient places." Alice noted, smiling.

"In every class on the desks, in three different spots in the common room, at breakfast, lunch _and_ dinner…" Marlene recalled with laughing eyes.

"Ugh, and they were the most obnoxious, largest flowers I'd ever seen!" Lily interjected, a disbelieving smile on her face. Mary and Marlene laughed.

"Oh, and fourth year! When he had that quartet of Italian opera witches come and sing 'happy birthday' to you in the morning for breakfast—" Dorcas initiated.

"And then that band of sprites and nymphs came during lunch and crowned you Queen Lily of the forest! Yes!" Alice finished. The girls burst out laughing again as the birthday girl hid her face and smile.

"The tiara made of shrubbery was the defining moment," she remarked.

"Wow, so entertaining!" Mary smirked.

"We've got to thank James for those." Marlene chuckled.

"No more to add to the book, I hope," Lily commented, resuming to her normal stance and appearing somewhat red in the cheeks, "I was ready to murder him all those times."

"I think your worries about that are over." Alice affirmed, grinning lightly. Someone then suddenly spoke near Lily's left ear, catching her wholly off guard and causing her to jump.

"Happy birthday Evans," the voice stated. She peered up to her left, having not even sensed someone approaching, and saw James Potter standing there wearing a small smile.

"Oh, Potter!" she said with surprise.

"Yes, happy birthday Lily!" another wizard on her right uttered warmly. She turned to him and observed Remus on her other side, arms behind his back.

"Remus—thank you!," the red head answered, accepting the hug he bent down to give her. She swiveled back towards James after they let go, "And thank you, Potter." James' smile grew a little.

"Hi Remus." Mary chimed.

"Hello," he responded kindly, "So, no big plans for today Lily?"

"It's a weekday, sadly, so not really," she attested, giving a defeated smile.

"Well as long as you do something—it's your birthday."

"We'll do a little something for her after classes, no worries." Alice assured.

"That's good." Remus said.

"And what about you, Potter? Do you have a huge spectacle planned for Lily?" Mary questioned slyly. Her roommates giggled quietly as the birthday girl gave her a disbelieving look; both of the males smiled but James' held embarrassment.

"You mean the other years weren't enough?," the captain chuckled, "Uh, you'll forgive me Evans but I decided to put my unique way of acknowledging your birthday on hold!"

"And what a gift that is." Lily commented, grinning a bit. He laughed once.

"Well have a great day, Lily. I'll see you." Remus alerted.

"Thanks again Remus—I really liked the quill holder I got from you this morning. It was pretty."

"It wasn't much, but…"

"It was perfect," she affirmed. James then cleared his throat anxiously and spoke, holding something he had pulled from his pocket.

"Erm, here you go Evans! Again, happy birthday," He set the box down next to her, "See you girls later! Meadows."

James then walked away spiritedly, followed by Remus, as if wanting to depart before one of the witches said something. Dorcas felt some pleasure for being acknowledged by him and interpreted it as his coming back around, which meant the distance would melt away soon, but Lily was focused on the golden, square box that had completely surprised her. She gazed at it.

"It's from James? A gift?" Marlene asked, also peering at it.

"I don't know… maybe?," Lily answered, "He just set it down!"

"Maybe _that's_ the spectacle! When you open it, it'll be your own planet or something." Mary hypothesized. Marlene grinned at her.

"No… it has to be from James; he would've said something otherwise! And he told you happy birthday when he put it down… oh Lily, open it! Let's see what he got you!" Alice relayed, sounding excited.

"Yes, yes—open it!" Marlene advised, slapping the table twice. Dorcas was now interested as well and peered at the mystery present.

"This is just… surprising! I mean, if it's from Potter, which I'm assuming it is…" Lily noted, eyes still on the golden box.

"Stop analyzing and start investigating! If you won't, I will." Mary commented, reaching for the gift.

"I'll open it, okay!" the red head responded quickly, grabbing it hastily to prevent her friend from doing so. Mary smirked a bit and Alice smiled.

Lily carefully removed the black ribbon surrounding it and then took off the box's lid, only to see a single, lavish hair pin sitting atop cotton. It was a smooth, porcelain, white orchid with a garnet gemstone nestled right in the middle, and it was exquisite. Alice and Mary gasped out loud when they saw what it was as the birthday girl gaped at it, mouth agape.

"Oh my!– Lily, that is beautiful!" Marlene marveled, leaning forward to stare at it.

"Wow! He really put thought into this! That pin is so nice!" Mary remarked.

"I-I know! It _is_ beautiful! Oh my gosh." Lily uttered, setting the box down and blinking quickly a few times. Dorcas pulled it towards her with a stunned expression on her face.

"Merlin…" she muttered, examining it.

"This is so good of James, but shocking too! He really _did_ put thought into this. I mean, Lily!" Alice awed, looking at her.

"I know!" she said.

"He actually got this for you." Dorcas confirmed This was a statement, not a question, and it came out in an even tone and as though she was having trouble digesting it. The prefect peered at her with the same perplexed look on her face.

"What are you going to say to him?" Marlene inquired, touching it.

"I, I don't know! Does thank you even seem to fit?" Lily posited, picking it up and glancing it over. There Potter went again—vastly surprising Lily with acts that showed different sides of him she had never experienced before.

Marlene looked at Alice with a very knowing stare, and the Waite girl nodded in return, feeling the need to smile. They knew James' gift had been a profound gesture—even Lily was well aware of this—but they did not know that he had spent all of January deliberating over that gift and had even asked his mother for advice about it, nor did they know that James was not intending to tell Michelle anything about it. In his mind, the last thing he needed at the moment was for his girlfriend to be unnecessarily jealous over a simple gift. Who cared if it had been for the witch he had once tenaciously fancied?...

* * *

A/N: The next chapter will not take months to post, ha ha. I will have it for you all to read in a few weeks…


	26. The First Saturday of the Month

A/N: So, great news—I am done with school until September! Yay! More time devoted to this story!

How many times have I apologized to you all for chapters being horribly late? Again, another apology…. Thank you to all my new readers; it gives me hope and humility!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 26**

February brought the end of snow for the season with the alternative of more rain, and for the sixth years it marked the commencement of a much anticipated, nerve wrecking event: Apparition. The initial lesson was to take place the first Saturday of the month, and on the first Friday of the month Slughorn's sixth year Potions class babbled about it constantly as they worked on the day's task: creating antidotes. Of course, the assignment was quite challenging so the conversations regarding Apparition were frequently interrupted with nervous concerns over whether or not they were making the correct antidotes.

"Has anyone ever successfully Apparated during the first lesson?" Frank inquired, throwing yellow powder into his cauldron.

"At Hogwarts?" James answered.

"I remember hearing that Nathan Atkins did during our second year!" Alice said, peering into her pot. She made a dissatisfied face. (The girls were seated at the desk behind them).

"No, he Splinched himself," her boyfriend corrected, consulting his book, "Oy, I hate Golpalott's Third Law!"

"Me too," she added, frowning a bit as she picked up a vial.

"I'm starting to worry some about Splinching, like Pettigrew." Lily admitted.

"He worries about everything, Evans—don't be." James told her, stirring his concoction quickly five times and then gazing at it, "Oh, no! It's turning sky blue—it's supposed to be royal blue!"

"You stirred it too fast," the Muggleborn alerted. Alice leaned over to observe her roommate's work as James clicked his tongue with disappointment.

"Well yours looks perfectly fine! Did you even struggle?" the Waite girl pondered enviously. The prefect smiled with some guilt.

"Maybe you can help us out." Frank noted wearily. James turned to peer inquisitively into Lily's cauldron as Alice turned and looked at the other two Gryffindors, who were seated a few desks away on the left. She lamented her dorm mate and Sirius being essentially excluded from the group, but also knew that James did not want Sirius included and Marlene was willingly separating herself to keep him company.

"Are you all right Marlene?" Alice asked. They both gazed over at the quartet.

"Er, I think so!," the pureblood replied, frowning slightly, "It's hard, of course, especially with the limited time we have." Sirius observed silently as Alice nodded, and in the next moment Slughorn made an announcement:

"Three minutes, class! Three minutes to finish your antidotes! Chop chop!"

There were audible noises of exasperation as the students jumped to complete their assignment in hopes of a passing mark. Snape, like usual, had finished earlier than everyone else and appeared arrogantly bored as he flipped through the pages of his Potions book. He would occasionally look at the lions with reserved contempt for James and Sirius, but it _was_ comforting to see that they still continued to distance themselves from one another and Black was always quiet now. However, Snape had not forgotten abut his profound desire for revenge and was still thinking of a plan grand enough to pay them back.

"Okay, stop! Your time is up!," the professor cheerfully announced three minutes later. Many kids sighed with relief or frustration, "I am coming around to inspect your work so be prepared!"

"Well, it's blue at least. Good enough." James exhaled, ruffling the back of his hair unconsciously. Lily noticed this and smiled to herself.

Slughorn rounded the room observing and commenting on his students' work, being selective and exclaiming only about certain antidotes (whether good or bad). When he got to the Gryffindors they lightly held their breath as the rest of the class watched without much interest.

"Mm hmm… good attempt Ms. McKinnon, though I can smell that you added too much ginger," he reported, "Let's see… erm, yours is bubbling, Mr. Longbottom—not ideal!... hmm… oh, you almost had it Mr. Potter—admirable try! And… well! Lily, m'dear! It appears to be right on target!"

The red head gave him a brief smile out of necessity as the Slytherins gave her swift leers.

"Yes, yes—great!" the professor remarked, walking towards the last cluster of pupils that happened to be in the House he presided over. The lions began pouring some of their potions into vials like everyone else had done while Slughorn examined the Slytherins' work, and their attention was grabbed when he loudly praised Severus' antidote.

"Like usual Severus, your potion seems to be perfectly concocted! Magnificent!," the older wizard exclaimed. The other students in class rolled their eyes and grumbled to themselves, "How _do_ you do it, boy? So talented!"

"Like we care." Frank mumbled, putting his book away in his bag. Snape shrugged indifferently and then spoke up, which was rather unordinary for him.

"Actually sir, devising these antidotes could have been handled in a much simpler way," he half drawled, looking bored and toying with his vial, "I only did it for the mark."

His peers' interest was piqued as everyone turned to stare at him and Slughorn's eyebrows were raised with curiosity.

"Oh?... is that so?" the professor commenced, peering at him.

"Yes."

"Please elaborate, Mr. Snape." The teenager looked at his teacher and glanced at his classmates quickly before sighing heavily and responding:

"Why bother with an antidote when you can just stick a bezoar down the throat?" he posed, sounding a bit impatient and haughty. There was silence as the other sixth years looked at each other with comprehension and Slughorn blinked a few times while studying Severus. Conversely, in the next moment he was chortling loudly.

"Oh my! Well, in all my years of teaching! The simplicity!," the professor stated between laughs, "Severus m'boy—you are unique! Yes! And quite correct! Yes, yes, I must concede—a bezoar would _indeed_ work!"

The other students were now murmuring amongst one another and glancing at Snape with mild awe as he appeared smug, but Lily's hand rose into the air with defiance.

"Oh, Lily! Yes dear—what is it?" Slughorn asked, noticing her. The eyes of the pupils shifted to her.

"Using a bezoar does _not_ work for every potion so antidotes are often necessary!," she commenced, glowering a little at Snape, "And if you know of a place where they're produced by the minute, please, _do_ let us know! The last time I checked, bezoars were rare."

Some of the positive attention the snake had received was transformed into smirks and snickers at Lily's words, and James undoubtedly found himself satisfied as he grinned and peered at his enemy. Snape was giving the red head a blank yet notably unhappy look while Slughorn smiled and nodded his head. The bell then rang, signaling the end of the class session.

"Very valid points, Ms. Evans! But! Our time together has ended, so walk or send your potions to my desk on the way out and I will gladly see you for our next Potions lesson! Cheers!"

"Way to keep Snape in line, Lily!" Frank smiled as they rapidly packed their belongings. Alice nodded in agreement.

"Well, I think he did it to show Slughorn up or something, which isn't necessary. He needs to remember that he is _not_ the Potions master!" she noted.

The first Apparition lesson was scheduled for 9:30 in the morning. Most of the sixth years were too nervous to eat breakfast so arrived to the lesson with empty stomachs but did not care—anticipation overrode everything else they may have thought about. The tables had gone to an unknown location and left the Great Hall bare when the students filed into the large room, and the four Head of Houses stood near the High Table with an expectant looking stranger rooted in between them.

"Please assemble quickly!" McGonagall commanded as they all entered.

"Please assemble quickly!" Gates mocked as the Slytherins filed inside.

"Dumbledore's not here?" James asked Remus, the roommate he had walked with from their common room.

"More important things to do, I guess," the prefect replied. Their paring had naturally left Sirius and Peter to arrive to the Great Hall as a unit, and Frank accompanied the Gryffindor witches.

"Okay, very good!," Flitwick announced when the teenagers settled in, "Quiet please!"

"Thank you Professor Flitwick," the unknown wizard acknowledged, beginning to walk out towards the aisle between the sixth years, "Well hello! My name is Conrad Raines and I will be your Ministry appointed Apparition instructor for the next 12 weeks! We shall get to know each other well, I think."

Raines seemed to be in his early 50s, relatively young for a wizard, and was not noticeably tall—about McGonagall's height. He was the type who would have been easily overlooked in a crowd, and perhaps this made him a good candidate for teaching the art of disappearing.

"Before anyone inquires, the ban on Apparating inside Hogwarts has been temporarily removed in our honor by the headmaster, so all is well! Now, before we begin, I need you all to position yourselves five feet apart from one another for proper space. Five feet! Your Heads will help assist you." Raines explained.

"How are we supposed to know how much five feet is?" Peter wondered as the kids started to move around in a flurry.

Sirius shrugged and glanced at Remus and James before answering:

"Just do arms' length. They'll help you if you're off."

"I hope this five feet next to you isn't taken," someone told the Potter boy while he took a significant step away from Remus, joking that he smelled. The captain looked to his left and saw Dorcas, who was half grinning.

"Of course not, as long as it's you." James mentioned, smiling some.

"Perfect, then," she said happily, "Nervous for today?"

"Not at all! I'll be the first one to Apparate fully by the end of the lesson, I reckon."

"_Right_!," Dorcas laughed a bit and then paused for a moment, "Nice to be getting the old James back." He did not respond but gave her a smile. Over where many of the Ravenclaws stood, Michelle observed her boyfriend standing next to Dorcas to her far left, and a displeased expression formed on her face.

"I know you don't like her attitude, 'Chelle, but they are in the same House." Fiona commented, putting distance between them.

"Yes, and it does nothing to make me feel better," the blonde grumbled, wondering if James had spoken to his teammate about the situation.

"Everyone positioned then?," Raines prompted as Sprout helped sort out the last two of her students, "Great! We begin." The instructor waved his wand and wooden hoops appeared at the feet of every pupil; a couple of them jumped.

"Now, the three D's are very crucial to Apparition: destination, determination, and deliberation! For the first, destination, it will be the inside of your hoop, so concentrate on that _destination_," The hall got quiet as the sixth years peered at their hoops, "Second, determination. You must be mentally _determined_ to reach your destination! Lastly, deliberation. When I direct you, you will turn on the spot and _deliberately_ enter your hoop—this is Apparition!"

"Are we doing it today?" Alex Farrell asked, shocked they were already being asked to Apparate.

"But, of course!," Raines replied. Many students gaped at him and each other, "Off we go! The three D's, remember! One, two… _three_!"

The room suddenly erupted with noises of people spinning, tripping, falling, making sounds of uncertainty, laughing, and pain. Peter turned too forcefully and nearly collided with Frank, James felt like an idiot after spinning unsuccessfully, Mary closed her eyes and hopped instead of turned, Quincy Royce almost tripped on Marcus' robes, and Rosier was very close to hitting Avery with his right arm.

"Turn! I said _turn_, not spin wildly!," Raines announced, waving his arm, "All right! Everyone stop! Please get back in place and adjust your hoops!" Sirius smiled to himself as he moved back to his initial spot, fixing the hoop. It had been somewhat amusing to witness everyone's follies.

"Okay, there is no need to turn so vigorously. You must revolve swiftly, but with determination and deliberation to your destination! Let us try again. The three D's students!" the wizard lectured.

The second attempt was much like the first, but with less laughter and more shut eyes. Raines demonstrated Apparition on the fourth try and the kids were so impressed that they had renewed vigor on the fifth, but no one managed to make it into the wooden circle. Remus experienced excitement during the eighth attempt because he did make it into the hoop, yet it rapidly diminished when James pointed out he had merely stepped over the boundary with his foot. The lesson ended after the tenth try and Raines took his leave, saying he would return to the castle every Saturday morning for the next 11 weeks.

"Why does it seem like this is going to go nowhere?" Remus questioned as the sixth years started to exit the hall.

"Three months of turning for an hour." James smirked as Mary, Lily and Dorcas casually strode up to them.

"What? You didn't have fun getting dizzy non-stop?" Mary quipped. The boys grinned.

"I thought there'd be more to it." Lily admitted.

"I know," Dorcas said, "And what happened to you Apparating by the end of the lesson, Potter?" Before he could answer, he felt a hand place itself inside his and looked to see Michelle at his left.

"Hiya," she greeted, smiling at him then Remus, "Make any progress today?"

"About as much as anyone else." James responded, looking down at her. Dorcas' face had gone from being cheerful to irritated.

"Yeah, it was hard. Well, come walk with me, yes? Just for a bit." She was imploring and still wore her smile.

"Oh… uh, okay! Erm, Remus? What about—"

"Oh, no! I'll be fine, James! I can…" the Lupin boy started, sounding a bit caught off guard himself.

"You can go back with us, Remus!" Mary finished.

"Of course." Lily nodded.

"Okay! Well, see? I'm fine." Remus noted, pointing to the girls. Mary smiled.

"Great! Let's go." Michelle uttered, beginning to lead James away by the hand.

"Er, see you lot!" he called.

"Are you sure James didn't just Apparate then?" Remus joked while Lily grinned and Dorcas wore a pronounced scowl as she leered in the direction the couple had gone.

"Remus!" a new voice called at that moment. The prefect turned and saw Abigail Holland standing nearby with her prefect roommate Gloria.

"If you're going back to the towers, so are we—you can join us if you'd like," she warmly offered, smiling some.

"Oh… o-okay! Sure!," he replied, shrugging. Remus waved goodbye to his Housemates then walked over to the two Hufflepuffs, initiating conversation as they moved away.

"Well!... they both disappeared quickly!" Lily mentioned, sounding amused and surprised. She peered at her friends and observed that they both appeared notably disgruntled; Mary seemed downright offended that Remus was now gone.

"I said it—I said that Parks is always taking him away when we were going home on holiday! Ridiculous." Dorcas grumbled, turning around and shaking her head. Lily glanced at them again. Maybe it would be best to find other company to leave the hall with other than these two, who were now visibly upset. Where was Marlene and Alice?...

The week of Valentine's Day seemed full of important dates and activities, and it began with Marlene's 17th birthday on the ninth. Her friends were most happy for her and the rest of the lion sixth years were as well, but she deduced like Lily had on her own birthday that if the Marauders were not feuding then the Gryffindors may have likely celebrated together. To the McKinnon girl's surprise, Sirius had a gift for her and it turned out to be a very exquisite journal with a few gems embellishing the cover; he told her it was for being a "wicked cool" person to him, especially since things had changed between him and his roommates.

"You've still been willing to talk to me, so… and I know you enjoy writing. I hope you like it," he relayed when she had unwrapped it. Marlene told him she "adored it" as she hugged it to her chest and beamed at him, appearing to be on the verge of tears.

The first Quidditch match of the term between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw was scheduled on the 12th of the month. The school's pupils were excited to welcome the sport back and the game was set to begin after the third lessons of the day ended. Kirby asked James if their team was sitting as a unit to observe the other players and he answered "of course".

"It's the first match—it's very necessary to see what they've come up with in practices," the captain noted.

What was weird for James, however, was that it was _only_ his Quidditch team sitting together. It was customary for the Marauders to sit with them as well but this time was obviously different, for there were different circumstances. Remus sat with Frank and Peter, the latter who was feeling sorry for Sirius back in the castle, and the witches were huddled together minus Lily—Marcus had convinced her to sit in the Hufflepuffs' section that day. Michelle herself had wanted James to come show his support by being with the Ravenclaws but he resolutely told her he had to stay with his own team for strategic purposes. He reminded her this was his common standard and Quidditch had begun once more so that meant focus, and while the blonde acknowledged this and did not attempt to argue, she felt like rolling her eyes and telling him to come be with her anyway. The match ended after about an hour and a half and surprised many with its outcome: the Hufflepuff Seeker captured the Snitch only moments before the Ravenclaw counterpart (Phines) did, giving the former the win. The badgers were ecstatic, receiving their first win of the entire Quidditch season, and the Ravenclaws took their loss well, probably knowing this fact.

Fervor for Hogsmeade also arose that week since the older students would be allowed back into the village on Saturday. Valentine's Day was the day before so multiple concluded that they would just make up for it when they were in Hogsmeade, Frank and Alice included, who seemed quite eager for the holiday. James, on the other hand, was not on the same boat. When Remus asked him if he was planning on celebrating with Michelle, he answered:

"I suppose I have to. I think she's expecting it. But I'm not a big nutter over Valentine's Day—never have been."

The requests for dates emerged as usual and there seemed to be added pressure since it was in close proximity to the holiday. Peter spoke to Remus and James about it during a free period the day Hufflepuff won its match, while Sirius was in solitude in their dormitory.

"So are you going to ask Dorcas finally?" James pondered as they lazed about in armchairs, sorting through Chocolate Frog cards.

"I don't know… I doubt it." Peter responded, mumbling somewhat.

"But you want to." Remus remarked.

"Well, i-it'd be nice if I _could_ go with her."

"What's stopping you from trying to make that happen?" the Potter boy inquired.

"A lot!," Peter declared as if it were obvious, "For one, she doesn't know I fancy her. What if I gross her out by asking, o-or she thinks I'm a creep, or boring, or doesn't like me? It could ruin a lot of things by asking! My dignity, for one…"

"You're scared." Remus stated, peering at him.

"Of course!"

"But are there any signs that Dorcas thinks those things about you _now_, not knowing you fancy her?"

"Yeah, she tutors you for Defense, and that's her own free time! She wouldn't do that if you repulsed her." James added.

"Well, yeah… yeah…," Peter commenced, contemplating, "Yeah! You two are right! A-And I spend time with her for those!"

"Exactly," the prefect smiled a tad.

"But, I-I still don't know. Valentine's Day seems to put a lot more pressure on it… I reckon I might wait 'til next month."

"Well all right. But we'll bring it up again in March!" the captain alerted.

"So, I guess Hogsmeade with you, Remus. Sirius is a little cut up about not going," the Pettigrew boy uttered. His roommates looked at him.

"What? Sad he can't accept the multitude of dates proposed by girls?" James said in a low voice, scoffing.

"Well, I-I mean, girls have asked him, but he clearly can't say yes. And Emma Seigal tried again, but he finally just told her nothing's ever going to happen between them; I don't think she liked his answer very much because she called him a 'twat' and walked off. But, the girls aren't why he's upset... I thought about not going just so he isn't alone that day."

Neither said anything in response, but James appeared half sulky and half reflective.

"So you're going to stay here with him?" Remus wondered. Peter quickly looked to him.

"Well, n-no, not for sure! It was just a thought! It's not definite yet! I-I know I usually double with you Moony, but, but with the way things are… he doesn't really have…," he rushed to explain. There was brief silence, "You know, you could stay _with_ us if you wanted… I know Padfoot would like that…"

"No thanks—I'm fine," the Lupin boy coolly told him, picking up a card as James looked between the two, "I'll find company myself."

"You can always join me and Michelle, Remus. I don't care what day it is." James announced nonchalantly. Remus nodded in appreciation. Peter, conversely, was studying the two with an agitated, unhappy expression and in the next moment suddenly declared:

"You know, this isn't easy for me!" The other Marauders instantly gawked at him, surely caught off guard.

"Peter, what—" Remus began.

"This situation is _not_ easy!," he continued, not allowing the interruption, "I _hate_ this separation between us! It's hard, and doesn't feel right! Do you know how glad I feel right now to finally be sitting with you two, because it's been so long, but how weird I feel that Sirius is by himself and partially like I should be with him? I feel torn, and I shouldn't!"

"He made—" James commenced.

"He made a terrible mistake James, yes, I know!," Peter finished, speaking over him and effectively quieting him, "We _all_ know! He messed up, badly, and I'm not excusing it! I was shocked and angry when I found out too, like you, and I think he needs punishment. It was bloody stupid and unfair to Remus; I realize all this and so does Sirius. He is completely miserable and regretful, and has been since the full moon. You should see what he's like—it's like spending time with someone who's been kissed by a Dementor! He never speaks, rarely smiles… it's sad. And I know you two are really upset with what he did but you are making it worse. Do you think he doesn't feel guilty enough? Do you think I'm _choosing_ his side or something? Do you think I don't feel torn in all this? Well I'm not. I know he was wrong, but I just don't want him to think he has absolutely no one left, that no one will be there for him when things are bad. Because you know better than anyone that his family has already sent him that message a hundred times. And now he thinks he's lost his mates, which is all he has…"

Peter trailed off and stared down at his lap while his dorm mates surveyed him with intensity and leftover surprise from when he had started. There was nothing but silence between them. They had never heard that much assurance and conviction in Peter's voice… it sounded as though he had been craving to say that for some time.

"I've… I've gotta go. I'll see you later," the Pettigrew boy mumbled, regaining his typical demeanor. He got up from his chair without making eye contact and walked towards the portrait hole instead of the boys' staircase, and was gone shortly thereafter.

James watched his departure, shock still apparent on his face, and when Peter left he looked at Remus with a baffled expression. Consequently, Remus was gazing at the carpet and seemed trapped in contemplation as he toyed absent mindedly with Frog cards. When he finally did peer up at James, his countenance displayed resentful confusion and the two spent the remainder of the free period barely speaking.

The Gryffindor sixth year witches also dealt with the business of Hogsmeade and dates like they usually did. Alice was obviously going with Frank and was happily awaiting the Valentine weekend, and Lily had a guaranteed date as well in the form of Marcus who had asked her on Monday. While they were still not a couple, it was well known at this point that they had a courtship of sorts happening so many males did not even bother asking the red head out this time, but this did not stop Marcus' seventh year Housemate from approaching. Lily declined but her fellow blond prefect had been rather annoyed by the proposal; his own kin! Howard knew he and Lily went round… come on…

While Alice and Lily were squared away for the village without question, their three roommates were not. Dorcas had made it national knowledge during third year that she detested Valentine's Day and was currently considering forgoing the Hogsmeade trip, but she _did_ want to visit the town and not have the residue of the holiday ruin it for her.

"Marlene, are you going with Bruce on Saturday? He's asked you to go with him, yes?" Alice prompted at lunch, the day Hufflepuff won its game.

"Why do you ask that?" the McKinnon girl responded, smirking a tad.

"Because it's Wednesday, close to the date at hand, and I'm sure he fancies you! To not have done it by now would be a crime."

Lily chuckled at the answer and Marlene smiled.

"Well, yes—he has asked me," she confirmed.

"So you're going with him." Mary surmised, peeling an orange.

"Erm! Well… he wrote me about going in Muggle Studies on Monday morning—I haven't given him an answer yet."

"Why not?" Alice demanded, surprised, as all three gazed at her.

"The poor bloke must be dying, full of doubt!" Mary noted, grinning in disbelief.

"I told him it'd be great if we did! But I didn't say yes or no…" Marlene admitted sheepishly.

"Do you _not_ want him as your date? We thought you liked him." Lily commented.

"I do! I just—"

"Is this about Black?" Mary swiftly postulated, "Are you thinking about him or something?" Alice peered curiously at the other pureblood.

"Maybe. I think. I don't know," Marlene muttered, staring at the table. When she spoke again it was louder, "It's just that I've been speaking to him more since this whole thing between the boys happened, and I might feel weird if I just…. I think he feels like he doesn't have anyone right now."

"So you're worried about deserting him in a sense?" Lily inquired. The brunette shrugged and nodded simultaneously.

"Well, you're not Marlene. For one, it's one date on a Saturday—you deserve it! And what about Pettigrew? He may stay with Black so he's not alone. Don't feel obligated; you shouldn't have to sacrifice your Valentine's Day. I know you're probably happy to be in his company more these days, but take a break and go with Bowyer." Mary lectured.

Marlene pursed her lips as she sat in thought and studied the Macdonald girl. Lily looked at Alice and the Waite girl inclined her head as if agreeing.

"Yeah… I suppose you're right, Mary," the McKinnon girl murmured, "I think I'll go find Bruce now…"

Marlene then put her napkin on the table and got up from her seat, headed for the Ravenclaw table. They watched her go.

"Should we consider what you do a talent, Mary?" Alice questioned, smiling faintly.

"What? I just tell the truth, give my opinion," she notified, smirking a bit, "She is unnecessarily holding out for Black."

"Well what about you? If Dorcas doesn't go to Hogsmeade, will you?" Lily wondered, resting her arms in front of her.

"I'd still like to, yes. I reckon I'll see what Remus' plans are, spend the time with him. I mean, Dorcas as well, obviously!" Mary clarified, smiling.

"And if she doesn't go it'll be just you and Remus." Alice asserted. The Macdonald girl shrugged and she took a sip of her beverage but there was a grin lurking behind the cup. Lily peered at the blonde again with a sly expression, and in the next instance someone had approached them.

"Hey," he greeted, looking at them briefly.

"Er, hi Alex." Lily answered, attuning to the Ravenclaw.

"Farrell." Mary uttered.

"I was wondering if you lot know where Dorcas is?" Alex posited.

"Dorcas?" the red head repeated, surprised.

"Yeah. I thought she'd be here at lunch."

"She's actually getting some late homework done before her History class." Alice revealed.

"Oh," he said, looking somewhat put out, "Well, all right. Thanks." The Quidditch player then took his leave of them.

"I wonder what he wants with her." Alice pondered.

"Quidditch stuff?" Lily proposed. Alice made a face as if this made sense.

"For a second I thought he was going to ask you to Hogsmeade again, Lily!" Mary noted. The prefect gave a semi-weary grimace.

When Valentine's Day arrived at the end of the week, many students were happy, many were not, and the rest were apathetic toward what the day signified. To commemorate the love inspired holiday, self playing harps were found on most levels in the castle (including the Great Hall), a light shower of red and white heart confetti continually fell from the dining hall's ceiling, and many of the hallways smelled of roses. For those who disliked the holiday, all of the hoopla was rather like a form of torture, and one that they could not easily escape.

"Not everyone likes all this rubbish!" Dorcas stated, aggravated, in Transfiguration that day.

Snape was also greatly perturbed by Valentine's Day and had always despised it. He looked nothing short of angry for most of the day, waiting for the love fest to be over, while discretely watching Marcus to observe his behaviors in regard to Lily. That idiot _would _participate in all the sappy customs of the day, and with Snape's rightful girl, no less!... There were still no rumblings of the two being a couple, so Severus did not need to step in forcefully as of yet.

Many of the school's couples whom belonged to different Houses chose this day to sit at one another's tables for meals, and the Head of Houses allowed them to. (The headmaster was wearing a tall red wizard's hat with Cupid on it for the day). James remained at Gryffindor table with his friends for breakfast and lunch, but he did not think his girlfriend was going to permit this for dinner.

"She wants me to sit with her at dinner," he reported as the children of Hogwarts ate lunch.

"Why don't you ask her to sit with Gryffindor?" Remus wondered, forking a big piece of boiled potato.

"I did. She said she's always with my House; she said I need to experience Ravenclaw more."

"Hmm."

James glanced down to the left and saw Alice and Frank by themselves, all smiles, and Peter eating with Sirius, the former doing the talking. He looked back to his plate.

"So what are you doing for tomorrow—for Hogsmeade?" the captain asked.

"Oh! Yeah," Remus began, perking up a bit. James appeared interested, "Well I was going to go with Peter but Abigail asked me if I'd like to go with her last night!"

"Really? Just you two?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. She's cool—I think it'll be fun."

"I'm sure. Maybe it'll end with your second snogging together," the Potter boy commented, grinning. Remus shook his head but seemed amused, "Good for you, Moony!"

"I told Peter. Maybe this will give him enough reason to go with Dorcas," the prefect remarked.

"Yeah, if he doesn't go with her and Macdonald he'll stay here with…you know."

Remus nodded as he glanced at the other lions in their vicinity, and spotted something that caught his eye.

"Oy, Prongs," he prompted, looking at Lily, "Did you notice that Lily's wearing your birthday gift?"

"What?" James replied, quickly turning to gaze at her. Sure enough, the orchid pin he had given her was settled in her red hair, positioned above the curled ponytail it was styled into. She sat speaking with Mary and Dorcas, appearing content. (Marlene was visiting the Ravenclaw table for lunch at the request of Bruce, and Sirius for one had noticed her absence). James felt a smile start to pull at his face, so he decided to address Lily.

"Evans," he uttered. Remus looked at him with interest as the girls gazed at him as well.

"Hey," she greeted politely, smiling some.

"You're wearing my pin." James notified with a small grin. The witches all peered at Lily, although they were already aware of her hair ornament.

"Oh. Well… yes," the Evans girl concurred, touching it lightly, "You _did_ give it to me. And I do like it."

"Well, that's good! I'm glad you do."

Lily nodded at him and he nodded back, grin widening a little, and they turned back to their respective friends.

"She likes it," the captain said.

"So I heard." Remus replied, smiling himself.

* * *

A/N: More great news—I think I'll have the next chapter posted next week. It's for you readers having to wait so long for this one.


	27. Magnolias

A/N: So, I don't know how to exactly begin talking about this so I just will jump right into it. I was in a car accident some days ago that left me in the hospital for a brief stint. It was pretty traumatizing—I've never been in that predicament before. Clearly, it was the only thing occupying my mind and time so that's why this chapter is coming so late. I've made great progress however physically, mentally, and emotionally, and writing is very therapeutic to me; as such, this fic is helping me deal with the accident in a sense. And of course, I have to be thankful I am still breathing.

Thank you to you readers. I'm humbled this story is being well received.

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 27 **

In double Potions that day Slughorn revealed that the sixth years' work would be in good spirit of the holiday.

"Amortentia, everyone! We are making love potions!," the professor declared jovially, wearing a pink tie. Snape gritted his teeth, "The timing may be a little off from when I typically give this lesson, but it's a perfect day to brew it, I'd say!"

A few of the girls giggled and looked excited for the class session, but James wondered if this potion would be worth adding to the Marauder stash. (He had been maintaining it without the aid of Sirius, which felt a little weird). Slughorn gave a ten minute lecture about the potion and had a quantity for display before he set the students to the task of brewing. James smiled to himself when he remembered that he attempted to buy some off NEWT students in his fourth year to slip in something Lily ate.

"Happy brewing, class! The winner of the best batch receives not only the surprise of what they find attractive, but also a voucher to Honeydukes!" Slughorn announced as the pupils began.

"I reckon Snape's will smell like grease and Dark magic to him," James quipped to Frank, reaching for his knife. The Longbottom boy laughed once and responded:

"Mine will smell like Mum's peanut butter biscuits and apples. Alice smells like apples."

The Chaser gave a brief smile without a verbal reply. He felt like his joke would have been better received and elaborated on by someone else, namely, well… _Sirius_… but they were not talking, so that was that. When the class period had 15 minutes left the professor called for them to stop and went around the dungeon to check everyone's work; the kids used this time to inquire with each other what their potions smelled like. Frank had been correct, overall—his Amortentia gave off the scent of cookies and apples, but also fresh linen, while Alice reported morning dew, marmalade and Frank (which was his cologne). Marlene told her roommates and Sirius she smelled quill ink and strawberry ice cream, but later admitted that a rich, oil scent—Sirius—was also present when it was just the girls. The Black boy relayed he perceived a coffee and grass scent but said nothing more, and seemed reflective and morose after that. James had not heard for himself what Sirius' love potion was reminiscent of and dully supposed he could ask Marlene what it was, but why did a part of him even want to know?

To rid of this thought, he breathed in the fumes from his cauldron. The smell of wind, which he experienced while flying, the smell of Christmas dinner, his room at Hogwarts, and, of course, magnolia petals. To him, from a few past experiences of accidental closeness, Lily smelled like magnolias. Would his Amortentia _always_ contain this scent?

"All right all—I've come to a decision!," Slughorn commented when he was through, "I am very impressed with the general brewing for today, I must say. Fantastic job! But! Today's honor goes to… Ms. Evans. Terrific execution, Lily m'dear!" Everyone who knew her was happy, especially because it also meant that Snape had been temporarily knocked from his position as top student.

"Beat out by _her_! Not your day today, Severus?" Rosier smirked. Snape glanced at him, annoyed, with folded arms. He knew he had not tried his best with this potion because he resented it, and that was partially because it saddened him. He, too, smelled magnolias…

"Lily, if you would be so kind as to describe what you perceive? I know it is quite personal…" Slughorn prompted. All sets of eyes fell on her, and she had the urge to blush.

"Erm, o-okay," she uttered, unsure. Severus felt his heart pump faster, "I smell… rain, warm bread, a-a garden, and… I, uh… I don't know. I don't know what the other smell is. But it's there…" She seemed perplexed.

"It will make itself known, I'm sure," the professor kindly said, "And now there is two minutes before we depart! Send your vials to my desk and have a smashing Valentine's Day!"

James was gone with the Ravenclaws at dinner as predicted, and Lily sat with Hufflepuff. This left Remus to merge with the remaining lion witches in his year and they welcomed him gladly.

"You know, Dorcas, I'm sure a lot of the village won't be dedicated to Valentine's Day—it does end today," Remus relayed, trying to convince her to go to the following day, "And if you don't go, you'll be leaving your mates by themselves."

"Mary, only. Everyone else is hooked up…" she muttered.

"And Peter needs company too. He'll be alone out of us."

"Yeah?" Dorcas wondered, looking at him.

"Yes. Er, Sirius can't go, as you know…" Remus mumbled.

"Don't forget about yourself, Remus! We four should all just go together for company." Mary smiled.

"Oh! I can't go with Peter this time—I'm going with Abigail Holland!"

"Are you really?" Marlene asked cheerfully. The prefect nodded at the pureblood and Mary's face went blank at the news.

"Cheers, Remus!" the McKinnon girl congratulated.

"Well if that's the case, I'll go, so Peter's not completely alone," Dorcas sighed, "He can join me and Mary. But there's always the option of staying in the castle and partying hard with Sirius." Marlene laughed and even Remus found a small grin form on his face, but Mary did not feel like smiling.

The school's sixth years had their second Apparition lesson on the morning of the Hogsmeade trip and no significant progress was made, good or bad. They spent an hour turning unsuccessfully and no one managed to even Splinch, which a handful of people secretly wanted to witness. The gates to the village's path opened at noon to permit the eligible students access, and by one o'clock most of the kids were there. Sirius did not match them go, because it was pointless suffering, and spent his time holed up in the Room of Requirement, dejected. Madam Puddifoot's was packed with kids more than it normally was because it was Valentine's weekend, but this was perfectly fine with those who preferred Rosmerta's establishment since it freed up room. The Hog's Head was blissfully deserted of students like usual except for certain Slytherins who reveled in its abysmal climate, including Snape, Mulciber, and Gates. They would eventually join the rest of their troupe among their Hogwarts peers, which meant Severus could watch for Lily, but spent a portion of their time in the forgotten pub.

After a thorough five minute discussion (small argument) with Michelle about why they should _not_ go to Puddifoot's, James won his claim and the two walked into the Three Broomsticks around two o'clock. His girlfriend was appeased by the bouquet of pink roses he had bought her at the florist and appeared happy as she admired them.

"James! The face of one of my favorite customers!," Rosmerta exclaimed when they approached the counter, "How've you been, love? So happy to see you again!"

"You too, Rosie! I've been good," he smiled.

"Great! A wonderful holiday, I hope. And hello to you, Ms. Parks!"

"Hi Madam Rosmerta," the blonde smiled.

"Well, where's the rest of your brood? Remus is in here with a cute Hufflepuff girl. But everyone else?" the bartender pondered.

"Alice, Frank and Marlene all chose Puddifoot's," James answered, glad to know Remus was present, "Peter's with Dorcas and Mary Macdonald."

"And your other half? Off with a lovely witch, I'm sure!" she inquired, grinning slyly. James' face began to fall at the mention of Sirius.

"He, uh! He actually couldn't make it to Hogsmeade today!" Michelle stated, noticing her boyfriend's demeanor shift and coming to the rescue.

"Poor bloke," Rosmerta nodded, "Well I've got room especially for you two cozy little dears! Nice flowers, sweetheart!"

The Ravenclaw smiled as she took James' hand and led the way, following the pub's matron. James made to forget about Sirius being brought up and shook his head briefly, placing himself back in the present. He quickly searched the crowd for Remus and Abigail and managed to spot them on the other side of the establishment, with his dorm mate exhibiting a grin as he listened to his date. The couple quickly arrived to a small booth placed next to a window.

"Enjoy, loves!" she bid, winking.

"Thanks Rosie." James acknowledged.

Michelle chose to sit on the same side as James in order to be closer and they ended up ordering two butterbeers along with two hot chocolates to combat the cold, which happened to have heart shaped sprinkles on the whipped cream. They spoke about various things and the Ravenclaw wanted to know about their Amortentia brewing when he mentioned it, but at a certain point she cautiously ventured into the topic of Sirius.

"So, how long do you think this is going to last?" Michelle questioned, peering at him hesitantly.

"I dunno." James replied, not returning the gaze and folding a red napkin idly.

"It's just… hard to believe it's _this_ serious. He must have really acted terribly; he's your best mate, and you're not talking."

"Yeah, well…" There was momentary silence.

"And Remus feels the same way?" she probed.

"Pretty much," he muttered, "Peter doesn't like it."

"Do you miss Sirius?"

James did not answer, and he did not look at her. Instead, he continued to toy with the napkin. The blonde exhaled lightly.

"Fiona thinks this is all karma for him." Michelle relayed, sipping the very last of her chocolate.

"Yeah?"," the Potter boy commenced, peering at her critically, "Well I don't really care what she thinks about this matter."

The Ravenclaw looked at him with drawn brows and opened her mouth to speak, but in the following instance James saw people walking in view of the window whom caught his attention. It was Lily and Marcus strolling in the direction facing the window and they were exchanging words. She held a Honeydukes bag and he was smiling at her, then the two stopped in their tracks; Lily turned her body to the left slightly and pointed across the street, causing Marcus to gaze at her observation, but her turn also allowed James to notice something. The Evans girl's top layer of hair was pulled up and all of it was curled, looking quite pretty, and once again the orchid pin he had given her was present, holding it up. Michelle seemed to have realized did not want to continue discussing the issue and was now rather silent next to him, while James felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the pin.

When the visit was over and the kids were back at Hogwarts with the first and second years, friends who had been apart in Hogsmeade caught up with one another. James, Peter and Remus convened in the common room halfway through dinner since they were not very hungry (they had eaten dinner in the village).

"Great time with Holland, Moony?" James asked.

"Yeah! We spent a lot of time at the Broomsticks—I saw you and Michelle, Prongs—and the bookstore. I forgot how easy she is to talk to," the Lupin boy told them.

"Did you get the second snog?" Peter laughed at the question while the captain grinned, and Remus wore a humorous smile.

"Not quite. Just a hug," he responded.

"It's a start!" the Chaser shrugged.

"So what about you, Pete? How was your day?"

"Erm, good actually!" Peter said.

"Where were you?" Remus wondered.

"Oh, yeah. Uh, Dorcas really didn't feel like going to Rosmerta's and Mary seemed like she didn't care—I think she was preoccupied with something."

"Where'd you end up going then?" James posited.

"The Hog's Head," the Pettigrew boy commented.

"What?" the other two half yelled.

"Yeah! Dorcas wanted to give it a try! She was just showing her Gryffindor courage, I reckon."

"What was it like?" the prefect inquired, looking at him.

"Dusty. Dark. Some of the customers looked dodgy, and the bartender was quiet." Peter notified.

"Did you see Slytherins?" James pondered.

"Only two, and they were fourth years. No Snape when we went. It was interesting… not too bad."

"Wow."

Peter checked his watch and then uttered:

"Um, well, I-I'm gonna go find Sirius, see how he's doing. I'll see you later." James glanced at Remus as Peter got up and left them. The two were quiet upon his departure.

Among the Gryffindor girls, Lily appeared to have the most interesting story of the day.

"The _Hog's_ Head?" Marlene wondered disbelievingly, gazing at her roommates from her bed.

"Yeah." Dorcas chuckled, leaning against the desk, shoeless.

"What in Merlin prompted that?" Alice added, playing with Autumn on the carpet.

"I just didn't feel like going to the Broomsticks."

"Well how was it, Mary?" Marlene inquired.

"Tolerable. I mean, we didn't die, so. Going back wouldn't be torture," Mary reported, lying on her four poster. Lily smiled, "Pettigrew went with it, too. I didn't care much."

"Well Puddifoot's was very nice!" Alice grinned. Marlene nodded.

"And full of lovely sap." Dorcas remarked, grimacing.

"One day we'll get you in there!"

"She just needs the right bloke." Marlene smiled. The Meadowes girl rolled her eyes.

"So was it a normal date with Hamilton, Lily?" Mary questioned.

"Er, kind of…," the red head began, making a face, "He asked me out. To be his girlfriend."

This news caused Mary to sit up, Alice to cease playing with the cat, and Marlene to gawk.

"Did he?" the McKinnon girl grinned.

"Finally!" Dorcas scoffed, laughing once.

"Oh Lily! That's great!" Alice beamed. Lily smiled uncertainly.

"Did you say yes?" Mary asked. The prefect studied her friends with a guilty expression and they gazed back.

"No…" she admitted. The two purebloods' mouths fell open as Dorcas laughed and Mary grinned.

"You told him no!" the Macdonald girl exclaimed.

"Why?" Marlene stated.

"Lily, we thought you liked him!" Alice noted, sounding shocked.

"I _do_!... but, I don't know! I just couldn't say yes for some reason!" Lily explained over Dorcas' continued laughter.

"Well, how did he take it? What did you say exactly?" Marlene posited.

"He asked me when we were walking back to Hogwarts. I was surprised! I suppose when I thought about this before I always imagined myself being willing and happy to go out with Marcus, but when it finally happened… saying yes didn't feel right. I told him I loved spending time with him but I just don't want a boyfriend at the moment."

"Wow," smiled Mary, "So you really don't?"

"I guess not," the prefect said.

"You two have been going round since October; it's no wonder he asked you out." Alice observed, peering at Marlene for agreement.

"Maybe he took too long to do it and that's why she said no." Mary quipped.

"Oh, I really don't know why I couldn't say yes! Don't make me feel worse about it." Lily relayed, frowning.

"_I'll_ tell you why you turned him down, Lily," Dorcas commenced, appearing entertained, "It's because you know you need someone more exciting! Look, Hamilton is a pretty good bloke—he is – but he's too standard! He's a prefect and so are you—that doesn't work; he's also a Hufflepuff. You need someone with a spark, like a Gryffindor, or hell, even a Slytherin! That's why you couldn't do it."

"Thank you for your insightful theory, Dorcas." Alice uttered blandly as the Chaser shrugged, smiling. Mary laughed appreciatively and Lily smiled faintly.

"You didn't say how he reacted." Marlene reminded.

"Oh, yes!," the red head began, "Well after I said no he nodded and said 'okay', but he was quiet for the rest of the walk. When we got to the castle I asked if he wanted to eat in the Great Hall but he said he wasn't hungry, so he told me 'see you', gave me a hug, and went to his common room. That's it."

"I hope he takes it well."

"So do I," the Muggleborn sighed.

"Yeah, unlike Farrell, who resorted to angry pouting!" Mary commented.

"Oh, _Dorcas_! Speaking of him," Alice started, "He came to us looking for you a couple days ago, during lunch. Did he ever catch you up?"

"Farrell? Alex? He did?," Dorcas answered, appearing perplexed. Lily nodded, "Oh. Well, no—he hasn't approached me. What did he want?"

"Didn't say." Mary alerted.

"Hmm. No matter." There was brief silence between the girls that often comes after a steady stream of conversation.

"Well the boys of Hogwarts can celebrate again now that Lily Evans is free!" Marlene said, half smiling. This elicited smiles.

Lily was not the only one who received a surprised that Saturday evening. Severus Snape sat on his four poster completing Transfiguration homework after dinner and mulling over his unsuccessful tracking of Marcus that day in the village when there was an intense burning on his left arm. He cried out in alarm as he dropped his quill and clutched his forearm; it was not unbearably painful but it had been unexpected. Snape quickly shoved the arm of his robes up to look at his Dark Mark, for that is where the feeling originated—it was a deep black. He let the arm fall as his eyes darted about sharply and his breathing became more shallow and quickened. The Dark Lord wanted the presence of his Death Eaters… what did this mean for him and Mulciber? Should he attempt to contact someone? Roughly half a minute later, his fellow Death Eater came bounding into their empty room and stared at Snape tensely.

"He summons us!," Mulciber cried, pointing to his arm, "What do we do?"

"I'm not sure," Snape answered, "I reckon we should try to contact someone, Lucius or Rookwood… but we probably need to wait." Mulciber nodded.

"Right. That sounds reasonable," he agreed, sounding more relieved.

The Slytherins did not have to wait to reach out to another Death Eater, for someone reached out to them about half an hour later. A group of third years was very shocked to witness a head pop into the flames of the common room hearth and demand to see Walton Mulciber and Severus Snape right away. Rosier, who happened to also be present with Heidi Kellogg (a sixth year witch), intervened for the stunned thirteen year olds and spokes to the visitor.

"Mrs. Lestrange!," he commenced, smiling at the fireplace, "I will gladly fetch them for you!"

"Oooh, Evan, dear!," Bellatrix responded, grinning sweetly, "_Would_ you be a sweetheart and get them for me?"

"Of course."

"Lovely! And clear the room when they're here, if you would; we need brief privacy."

"Yes," the blond agreed.

"I'll tell your father I had the pleasure of speaking to you," she remarked coyly. He nodded proudly and then said "come on" to his female companion, grasping her hand as they stood up.

Bellatrix was not kept waiting long and Snape and Mulciber hurried into the common room shortly thereafter, appearing anxious. Rosier used his prefect status to order everyone out of the vicinity and he was met with disgruntled dissatisfaction, but succeeded in getting the other Slytherins to leave.

"Mulciber, Snape," Bellatrix steely initiated when they were alone, "As you know, the Dark Lord requested our presence tonight and most all of us immediately obliged; in fact, I am currently in our meeting location."

"Yes. What are we to do? We do not wish to ignore his call." Mulciber answered, staring into the fireplace.

"Worry not, new one. The master is aware of your inability to Apparate and your position at Hogwarts. However, tonight's gathering is very important to the Dark Lord and he requires your attendance. I myself was only allowed to step out and send this message to you."

"How—" Severus started.

"You will need Floo Powder and get here that way," she revealed, answering his question, "Hogwarts is not a part of the Floo Network under normal circumstances but it has been temporarily managed with _this_ hearth. That Muggle lover Dumbledore forgets the Dark Lord has his own power."

"Cool." Mulciber grinned.

"The connection will only be effective until 10PM—the school's usual curfew; this is to minimize detection and ensure you two are back to lessen suspicion. As such, you must act quickly. Do you have access to the powder?"

The boys looked at each other.

"One of the professor's offices. Probably the Potions store cupboard as well—Slughorn will be easiest." Snape noted. His dorm mate nodded.

"Very well. Go and get it, then travel here as quickly as you can. You will say 'Riddle mansion'—this is the destination. We await you." Bellatrix told them. The witch's head then disappeared from the fireplace as the orange flames roared back to life. The teenagers stood up from kneeling.

"Well, let's go!" Mulciber remarked, an eerie smile on his face. Snape slowly withdrew his wand and stared at it, while he nodded once.

"Yes, he's waiting," he acknowledged. This was their first act of obedience as Death Eaters and it was happening right in the midst of their typical school routine, with the headmaster in the same structure! As the two rushed out the common room in search of Floo Powder to steal, Snape felt a lick of excitement and power.

* * *

As the third week of February began, Marcus was showing no signs of gracefully accepting Lily's rejection of being his girlfriend. In fact, he seemed to be becoming more distant and was not actively seeking her out anymore. She was taken aback by this because she had only implied that she did not want to go out with him, not that he was an awful person whom she never wanted to speak to again. Lily thought Marcus was a great person and someone she got along with, so she felt he was really taking it all the wrong way. Not to mention, she still had to see him for inter-House prefect activities so she did not want it to be awkward! Consequently, Marcus aside, she was also thinking about Gryffindor's first Quidditch match on the 20th (Thursday), as was her entire House. James appeared to be tenser than anyone could ever remember him being because of an approaching game, and he himself was aware of his short fuse. The lions and snakes were taunting and heckling each other once more due to their impending match but no physical acts were carried out, likely because of Dumbledore's personal reminder of attacking one another on Monday. The Gryffindor players also had practice every night leading up to the game for an hour and a half. James was being overly focused and determined because his team was facing its rival and there was the record to maintain, but there was another unknown source fueling his tension: the full moon of the month was going to occur on the 24th and it was bringing him anxiety. The Marauders would become animals again after a skipped month but without Sirius, and he was not sure how it would turn out for they had never done this without all four. And how would Snape act with the reminder of what had transpired the previous month, what he had seen? James could not believe this much time had already passed….

When the 20th finally dawned, the entire school seemed ready to watch Slytherin and Gryffindor carry their battle out in the sky. The match was scheduled to start after the end of lunch.

"Good luck, James—all of you! Can't wait to see Slytherins' faces after we win!" Remus said as the lion Quidditch team was departing the Great Hall 15 minutes before the game.

"Thanks mates," he replied.

"Yes," Peter added, "Sirius told me to tell you lot 'good luck'." Both James and Remus peered at him with semi-surprised expressions on their faces.

"Er, yeah…" the captain mumbled before leaving the Gryffindor table. The seven athletes were booed at by the Slytherin House whose own team had already gone outside when they walked out the room and headed for their own locker room.

Much noise came from the crowd as it sat in the stands and watched the two Quidditch teams traverse the green field to meet one another and Madam Crimps. James had little to say in the locker room before they left what with his mind occupied with thoughts of winning, the full moon, and Sirius. His teammates knew, however, that they were to try their best and come out victorious; Gryffindor was a very ambitious team. Crimps called for the customary captain handshake and James rapidly grasped Hollenbeck's hand while appearing intense, and the Slytherin captain openly smirked. Regulus seemed smug as he made a motion to Mitchell that indicated he was going to crash on his broom, but the McKinnon boy did not show fear.

"Okay, on my whistle!" Crimps said, peering between the players. A moment later it sounded, the players shot up for the sky on their brooms, and the spectators began cheering.

"Here we go!" Alice stated as the four girls all sat together.

"I hope they do well," Marlene commented, "Sirius is really upset he can't be here to watch our match." Lily looked at her.

"Welcome to the first match of the new term for these two Houses: Slytherin and Gryffindooooooor!," Coombs commenced from the announcer booth as Amy grabbed a Quaffle and prepared to fly for their goals, "And it has already taken off with Amy Dunesfield in possession for Gryffindor, flying away like the wind! I'm sure we'll see exciting moves from both teams here today!"

"To say the least." Remus remarked as he sat with his dorm mates.

"Yeah, Crimps is going to be calling fouls left and right, like usual." Frank noted.

It _was_ a riveting game, as Coombs predicted. It was a very close match throughout its entirety as both teams performed very well, but nearly 50 minutes of time passed placed Gryffindor only one goal ahead—50 to 40. The Snitch appeared around this time and was hovering near the Slytherins' goal posts, which caused the Seekers to fly into action.

"It's there, it's there!" James hollered as he flew after a rival Chaser with the Quaffle and whizzed by Mitchell.

"Go for it Mitch!" Rodrigo instructed, pelting after a Bludger with his bat raised high.

The third year needed no reminders as he shot off for the golden ball, significantly closer to it than Regulus, who was on the other side of the field and flying frantically. The Snitch took off as Mitchell approached in a straight line so he jerked right in pursuit, expecting the ball to make this sudden move. What he was not expecting, however, was for the Snitch to continue its straight trajectory without deviance, for Regulus to close in on it without straying from his original path, and for his eyes to light up as he thrust out his left hand and snatched the ball with perfect ease. Mitchell felt his heart drop as his mouth dropped open at the sight and his speed slowed down. The audience's yells of enthusiasm for the Snitch being present quickly turned into sudden gasps of shock.

"And—oh _my_! Witches and wizards—it's over! The match is done! With a smooth capture by Seeker Regulus Black, _Slytherin_ wins!" Coombs shouted.

The green side of the stands erupted with volumes of cheers, breaking through the silence. They stood on their feet and screamed and clapped, joyous not only to win but to beat Gryffindor at that. Ravenclaw soon joined in with clapping for good sportsmanship, if only to be civil, but Hufflepuff remained fairly quiet; Gryffindor, on the other hand, was utterly speechless. The entire House seemed shocked and crushed as it remained on its feet or fell back in the seats with gawking expressions. Even McGonagall looked befuddled while Slughorn cheered heartily for his students. They had lost!

As shocked or let down as their fellow lions felt down below, it was nothing compared to how the ones on the Quidditch team felt. The Slytherin players celebrated merrily in the air and even teased their stunned rivals, but they eventually gathered around Regulus and flew proudly to their Housemates, leaving the Gryffindors on their brooms.

"We should get back on the field." Kirby mumbled, gazing at the snakes.

"Yeah," Rodrigo exhaled, shaking his head, "Mitch?" But Mitchell looked totally heartbroken when the Beater peered at him.

"I didn't catch it," he sadly noted.

"Oh no, Mitchell—don't blame yourself! It's all right!" Elizabeth consoled.

"_Oy_! James!" Amy interjected, flying to where the rest of her teammates were perched. They peered at her then to where she was looking—James had already landed, the only one to do so, and was progressing quickly away from the field with his broom clenched in his hand.

"Oh!" Elizabeth uttered.

"Come on, then!" Dorcas instructed as she zoomed past the group of five, wearing an aggravated expression and headed for the grass. They followed her lead and when they landed the team hurriedly trotted after their captain, trying to keep up with him.

"And the Gryffindor team takes its leave as Slytherin happily celebrates its win! It's the first one to beat the lions since September marked the Quidditch season!" Coombs declared.

"Poor Prongs." Peter muttered as they stood and watched the Quidditch players leave the stadium. Gryffindor was now feeling the reality of its loss as faces became disappointed or frowned.

James was fuming as he barreled into the locker room. His team had lost its first game of the new term. This did not sit well with him in any way. As worked up and angry as he was now, it had been a very different story in the sky. James felt like time had been slowed down to a painful pace as he witnessed Regulus reach out and effortlessly grab the Snitch, having flown out of a Bludger's path. He had turned around only to observe the Slytherin Seeker firmly hold the winged ball and give a consuming, triumphant grin. The Potter boy felt like the breath had left his entire body in that moment while he stared hopelessly. As it was now, his breath was intact and he was seething.

James threw open his locker door to retrieve his wand when the remaining team members rushed into the vicinity.

"James, we know you're upset—" Elizabeth initiated at once.

"Merlin, we _lost_!" Kirby suddenly remarked, letting out disappointment by throwing his broom on the ground and taking a moody seat on a bench.

"Kirby! That's not helping!" Amy notified.

"Well he's telling the truth—we _did_ lose!" James responded, rapidly removing his gloves and hurling them in the locker.

"Well, y-yes, but we don't want you to be this upset." Elizabeth commented.

"So what am I supposed to do? Throw a party?"

"It's my fault. I'm sorry." Mitchell apologized, looking sad as he also sat.

"No it's not—you didn't tell the Snitch to fly right for Black!" Rodrigo asserted.

"James, Mitchell already feels guilty enough! Don't make this worse than it is." Amy said.

"I said _we_ lost, not he, all right?" the captain answered roughly.

"Let's not start arguing you lot, please!," the Keeper begged, "We're not happy about them winning but it's just a match!"

"Just a _match_? So what's all the practicing for?" Dorcas restated, sounding a tad incredulous.

At that moment the door of their locker room opened and captured everyone's attention. Michelle was on the other side and appeared concerned.

"Everyone saw you rush off the field—I knew it wasn't good! I had to come see if you're okay," the blonde reported, hurrying inside and moving straight towards James. He had furrowed brows and wore a large frown but said nothing as he let his girlfriend approach him.

Dorcas, on the other hand, was far from silent. Her mouth had opened in disbelief at the initial sight of the Ravenclaw but now she used it to say something.

"Oh, come _on_! Are you serious?," she scoffed, sounding exceptionally irritated. The couple gazed at her, "_What_ is she doing in here!" Michelle's face quickly changed from concern to anger as she stared at Dorcas.

"Excuse _you_! I came to see if my boyfriend is okay!" the Parks girl shot back.

"He didn't fall off his broom, for Merlin's sake! You can't come barging into our locker room whenever you decide, Parks! It's a nasty habit of yours!"

"I don't have to answer to _you_, Meadowes! You're not captain and you're not the Quidditch instructor!"

"And you're not a Quidditch player! Or a _Gryffindor_!" Dorcas yelled, practically bristling.

"Whoa—Dorcas." Amy stated, putting a hand on her shoulder. The rest of the lions were observing the fight with surprise and trepidation.

"Oh bugger off!" Michelle snapped, furious herself.

"What?" the Meadowes girl challenged.

"Okay, that's _enough_! From both of you!" James boomed, intervening, "Michelle, we're going! As for the team, I'll talk to you all later." He closed his locker and directed the Ravenclaw out of the room, but not before she was able to exchange a dirty glare with Dorcas.

"Who the bloody hell does that girl think she is?" the petite Chaser heatedly cried out when they were gone, wishing she had something to kick.

"I understand, Dorcas. And I know our loss makes it worse because you're upset…" Amy soothed.

"Well, I think there's been enough yelling for one day!" Rodrigo told Elizabeth quietly. The Keeper nodded wearily as she pat Mitchell on the back.

James and Michelle proceeded straight to the castle and choose the very first empty classroom they came upon on the ground floor to take temporary refuge in.

"You haven't talked to her, have you?" Michelle asked the moment after the door was closed.

"What?" James replied, appearing confused.

"You haven't talked to Meadowes! About what her problem with me is!"

"Oh, Merlin!..."

"I'm serious, James! Did you not just see her? She's mad! You need to set her straight!" the Ravenclaw announced, her face vexed.

"_I_ need to? Really?" he posited, looking at her disbelievingly. This was not what he had expected to talk about right now, or have to deal with an upset girlfriend. He just lost! Why was this issue even being discussed? He ran a hand over his face with clenched teeth.

"Yes! I asked you to! I can't take her!" Michelle insisted.

"Well I'm sorry Michelle—no, I _haven't_ talked to Dorcas about you, okay! And you didn't ask me, it was more of a command! I've been a little busy with slightly more important things, all right? You know, like classes, Quidditch, which was a _bust_ today, and my friendships, which are far from perfect if you haven't noticed! So, yeah, my apologies but your Dorcas problem slipped my mind!" James hotly explained.

The blonde kept her mouth shut but threw him the angriest and most scandalized look she had ever given him, and then turned on her heel, wrenched the door open, and marched out the room. Well, the captain now had yet one more thing to add to his ever growing list of frustrations.

* * *

A/N: I'm excited where I am in writing my story plotline, which means I crank out chapters faster. Ha ha. Until the next posting...


	28. By Any Other Name

A/N: Life happens. That's all I can say, dear readers—life happens. Ergh. Here is the next chapter, weeks late **:/**

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* * *

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**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 28 **

Gryffindor had rounds that night. After the match was finished and the school's students went back to the normal schedule of lessons, they had to endure the Slytherins' smug attitudes and constant reminders of their victory. The lions had it the worse and it seemed that a snake would always take the opportunity to gleefully point out that their House had failed. Mitchell remained sullen and the two sixth year Chasers highly vexed, but James looked nothing short of pissed off; he refused to speak during classes and skipped dinner. Sirius had been shocked when he discovered the outcome of the game and felt somber that he could not reach out to talk to James, because he knew the captain had to be battling with himself over this internally. It also bothered the Black boy to see his younger brother so arrogantly content.

"Potter's really cut up about the loss, isn't he?" Lily questioned as the sixth year prefects roamed the castle.

"You mean you've noticed?" Remus joked.

"Yeah, I thought his death glare directed at everything in Herbology gave it away."

The Lupin boy's face allowed a momentary smile before becoming a tad more grave.

"Yes, James won't even really talk to me, so…" he commented.

"Did the match mean _this_ much to him?" she wondered.

"He cared about it, yeah—he loves Quidditch. But… I honestly think he's reacting this hard due to other things as well. He's never taken a loss to this degree before."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, mainly what's going on with, with Sirius. It's been nearly a month since we've stopped talking...," Remus notified. The red head peered at him, "He hasn't said this directly, but I think it's starting to get to James. I… I reckon he misses Sirius." There's also the full moon on Monday, which we're all worried about. How is it going to turn out with one person absent?

"Oh Remus," Lily said, sounding sympathetic, "I'm sure he does. A month… wow."

"Yeah," he muttered, putting his hands in his pockets.

"But I think you need to ask yourself if _you_ miss him too. This isn't easy for you either, I imagine."

Remus looked at her with an expression of sad surprise. No, it was not; this was turning out to be the hardest thing he had gone through in quite some time.

"Well, what about you Lily? I, er, saw Marcus walk right by you without a word when dinner was over," the Lupin boy remarked, deciding to switch the subject.

"Uh!," she sighed exasperatedly, "You know, you still try to be friendly with someone even though you're not ready to go out with them, and they decide to slowly turn into a prat!"

"Maybe it's too hard for him—he can't have you!" Remus chuckled.

"So he acts like an eight year old and pouts! He can get over it."

He smiled to himself and absentmindedly thought Lily sounded a bit like Sirius. The recognition that he had just fondly made a mental connection to the Black boy caused the smile to fall away and be replaced with conflict.

Lily sat idly on a stone bench situated across the path from the greenhouses that Saturday afternoon. The sun was actually out today but in a bleak manner; it would shine intermittently between clouds for some time, but the kids did not care and were merely glad to note its presence. They knew they were done having to put up with snow as February was dying off, but March would bring even more wet weather and wind. The red head had gone for a stroll by herself after initially contemplating bringing company, and was now perched contently on the stone bench with a Muggle novel in hand. Lily had been outside for almost an hour and had only seen two people in the same area as she, and they had both walked the gravely path back to Hogwarts after visiting the greenhouses. It was peaceful right here, and if she wanted to she could go further into the depths of school grounds by either walking the path or in the opposite direction by going past the large bushes in front of her. But she supposed this way would just lead to the Forbidden Forest…

There had been a Slug Club meeting yesterday. Lily went with Jessica and was rather shocked to see James already seated when she arrived although he looked grumpy. Sirius did not come but this was probably for the best—at a certain point Slytherin's Quidditch win was brought up, James got tense, Regulus went on and on about it (all the while smirking at the Potter boy), and Snape laughed supportively while looking at the lion captain. It ended with James taking an abrupt early leave of the meeting with a vague, clearly false excuse and Regulus telling him to "give my brother a big hello for me!". The snakes got the last laugh in for James just walked out the room with gritted teeth, but Lily knew it must have taken so much for him to let it be. Slughorn, of course, was oblivious to the underlying hatred of it all and took it at face value—the playful bantering of youth.

Lily then felt a fluid motion run across her hair, as if someone were playing in it. The sensation startled her and she closed her book as it registered within her; all right, this had to be someone close to her. As the witch quickly turned around to inspect who (or what) it was behind her, the minute smile on her face instantly disappeared when she saw who it really was, and dread immediately filled her bones. Walton Mulciber stood there, holding his wand near her back and grinning down at her in a pleasant and unnerving fashion. It seemed he had used his wand to run across her hair.

"Hello Evans," he greeted in a supple voice. The Muggleborn remained silent from true surprise as she gazed back at the Slytherin, but a few moments later she popped up on her feet and faced him on the other side of the bench. (Her novel now lay in the grass).

"Enjoying some time alone outdoors?" Mulciber probed, sounding cheerful. Lily again said nothing but was glaring at him now. She still believed he was the worst Slytherin at Hogwarts and absolutely abhorred having to utter one syllable to the boy. As such, she actively tried avoid doing so.

"Oh come on, Evans! You never speak to us! At this point, it's offensive," he quipped smirking forebodingly and twirling his wand. The Gryffindor scrunched her face up in disgust and moved to her left, attempting to get past and away from him. Mulciber, however, reacted swiftly to this and blocked her path, making her jump back.

"Oh no! Not so fast, ducky! I came to talk," the Slytherin stated, smirk widening.

Lily now felt a bit of panic start to seep into her veins. He _was_ big, and known for happily causing harm…. Oh Merlin—her wand! How could she have forgotten about it? It wasn't until this moment she had realized she may very well need it! And _hell_! It wasn't even on her person! The prefect's eyes hastily shot to the bench—there it was, so exposed, and she felt so stupid for not having it at this very instance. How many professors had told them to _never_ be unarmed, no matter what the circumstance? And what a circumstance Lily was now in! Well, she did not have an option and would have to vie for her wand, praying Mulciber would not catch on until it was too late. The red head made a fast dash to the right in order to grab it, but her tormentor sensed her intention and moved as well; with shocking speed, he snatched the wand before she could.

"I don't think you'll be needing _this_ either! You don't even deserve to own one," Mulciber remarked, holding it out mockingly before putting it in his pocket, "My, Evans! You're quite determined right now, aren't you?"

Lily was not utterly uneasy and rather afraid—she had no device to protect herself anymore and he was physically capable of easily preventing her escape. What could she do?

"You know Evans, I saw you over here in this secluded little clove and I realized you could probably really use some company! I mean, you're all alone and it's the perfect opportunity for us to get to know one another better!" he rambled, sounding very amicable and looking very menacing.

The Gryffindor's eyes shot urgently to the path of the greenhouses. No one that she could see… to intervene or help. Of course it was deserted, when she desperately needed it not to be.

"So, what do you say we see just how loud a lioness roars when she _doesn't_ have her mates around!..." Mulciber remarked threateningly, walking closer while his eyes were glued on her. He looked completely eerie.

Lily stumbled back for momentary escape feeling truly helpless and frantic, while trying her hardest to not show it, and frenetically thinking about kicking him in the knee to allow her freedom. Conversely, right as the Slytherin closed in on the witch, a rigid, pressing object made unexpected contact with the back of his head and caused him to stop advancing.

"Get _away_ from her," a voice commanded flatly, sounding notably edgy.

Lily's heart all but danced out of her chest as relief slammed into her like a wave. Someone had come! Thank the _heavens_! And, not only was this a greatly cherished surprise, but the person behind Mulciber was:

"_Potter_!" Lily inhaled, breathless from the dosing experience of relief and adrenaline.

"Potter?" Mulciber growled, face becoming furious as he attempted to turn around and face the other boy. But James dug his wand further into the snake's head as he remained still and steady.

"_Don't_ move, Mulciber, or I'll put a hole in you so fast you won't know what the hell happened," the captain asserted, glaring at his back.

"You sodding piece of—"

"Shut up!" James ordered. He then gazed at Lily, "Evans, where's your wand?"

The prefect was momentarily stunned, still processing all of this and noticing that her Housemate's eyes were darkened once again, as they had been when she cornered him after Charms that first day of lessons back in September.

"Uh, h-he has it!" she notified.

"Give her wand back. Now."

Mulciber had the absolute most spiteful snarl on his face after hearing the Potter boy speak, and he initially refused to abide by the order. Consequently, when James grumbled in his throat and moved his wand once more, the Slytherin reached quickly into his pocket and hurled Lily's wand at her feet.

"There! You Mudblood!" he spat. She bent down to hurriedly pick it up as James lowered his wand from Mulciber's head.

"So, like I said before, get away from her," the captain stated forcefully, stepping away from the Slytherin yet still in a stance that was prepared for a duel if need be. Mulciber hopped back and glowered at James, practically squeezing his wand from pure fury. It was apparent he was desperate to retaliate so both Gryffindors were on guard, but his attack came in the form of words and not magic.

"You… you _will_ regret this, blood traitor! You're marked—you can be sure of that!" the young Death Eater affirmed, pointing at the Chaser. Mulciber then turned away and stormed off, headed for the direction of the greenhouse path leading back to Hogwarts. He did not once glance back at the pair.

"Yeah, we'll see…," James muttered before looking at his Housemate, "You all right Evans?"

Lily gazed at him with emotional eyes, as if she were going to erupt with a thousand things to say, but in the next instance she slumped down on the bench as though all the air had been let out of her. He walked around and sat down on her right.

"I am _so_ very glad you came along!," she exhaled, "I mean, I was really frightened there for awhile! I didn't know if he was going to curse me, torture me, kill me—_eat_ me!"

The Potter boy laughed once as he bent down, picked up her novel and handed it to her.

"Thank you Potter." Lily said, facing him as she accepted the book.

"Nah, no worries," he replied casually.

"No—I mean it. Really. _Thank_ you for helping me. If it wasn't for you…" The red head sounded truly sincere and continued peering at him. James looked back at her, now feeling quite surprised and pleased.

"Of… of course, Evans. I didn't have to think about it, though. I mean, I was walking back to the castle from the grounds and saw Mulciber right here, saw your hair and _knew_ it was you, and… I just rushed over here. I saw you were alone; I know nothing good will happen when he's involved."

"Well, I'm grateful," Lily reiterated, smiling gently and unconsciously touching her hair, "So… were you just walking the grounds for fun?"

"Ah, to clear my head. I chose the back parts no one really bothers with." James revealed, rolling his wand between his hands.

"To clear your head of the three Ds?" she quipped.

"Actually to clear it of the image of Yung Splinching his arm."

He was referring to their Apparition lesson that morning during which action finally occurred and Hufflepuff Adrian Yung was the first to move out of his hoop, but also leaving his right arm behind in the process. Needless to say, the incident effectively spiced up the lesson and students' interest. The red head chuckled.

"But, truthfully, um… just everything that's going on with me right now," the captain commented.

"Like what?" Lily inquired sensitively.

"Well, I was pretty upset about losing the match a few days ago; that wasn't a big thrill. And then my mates, of course, or what's left of us…" James peered at the grass while saying this and it came out quietly.

"I definitely see how that would be heavy on your mind."

"Yeah…. Oh, and now I'm having problems with Michelle, so _everything_ is just going really well!" he added, looking up.

"Really? Why?," the Muggleborn asked, appearing engaged, "I-I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"I haven't spoken to her since Thursday—she refuses to talk to me. She's, er, upset with me because she thinks I'm not taking her feelings seriously, I reckon."

"I see…"

The Potter boy was silent for a moment as he contemplated over whether he should tell her the exact issue. Would that be going too far? He had not even discussed this with Dorcas yet and it was regarding her! But James suddenly felt that it would be okay to tell her, and he wanted to; she was displaying genuine interest in his life and it was something that had never happened before sixth year.

"Michelle thinks Dorcas doesn't like her—they got in an argument on Thursday, before our own. She said I need to talk to her about it." James explained, peering at her and sighing.

"Oh!," Lily answered, gaping, "So, she's angry because you haven't talked to Dorcas yet?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, Potter! That's… got to be weird for you!"

"It is!," he agreed, "What am I supposed to say to Dorcas?"

"Well," she exhaled, thinking, "You could just say it's something Parks wants, and ask Dorcas to just mind her behavior whenever they're together. You know—for your sake. And just try to make sure they don't come in contact that often when they don't have to." The Chaser nodded and then uttered:

"It'll take work, though. I'm around both all the time and Dorcas is my friend, and teammate!"

"Of course," Lily acknowledged, "To be honest, though, I _could_ see why Parks would think that... I could talk to Dorcas if you'd like." James drew his head back in surprise.

"You'd do that?" he pondered.

"Sure. I know how she can be!"

"Blimey. Well, thanks for the offer Evans! That's cool of you. But, I think I _do_ need to talk to her myself. I just forgot about it, really. And if I want to keep my girlfriend it'd probably be best!"

"Right," the prefect half smiled.

"So… I'm gonna walk back to the castle if you want to join, unless you aren't done out here." James proposed.

"Oh! Um, no! I'll go with you—Mulciber rather ruined my time out here."  
"Yes, he can ruin anything."

She smiled as they both stood up and began walking toward the cobble path.

"Well, what about you Evans?" the captain tried, hands in his jean pockets.

"What about me?" Lily answered, amused.

"How are things with Hamilton?"

"Ah—that. Well I suppose you could say they're definitely over; he no longer acknowledges me."

"What? Why?" James questioned, surprised. He was also a bit entertained with this revelation but did not want to show it.

"He asked me to go out with him last weekend after Hogsmeade but I couldn't say yes. Turns out he didn't like my answer, so has resorted to pretending as if I'm not here," she relayed.

"Merlin," he laughed some, grinning, "That's got to make prefect meetings interesting!"

"Hmm, quite. And I don't care anymore, either; my last attempt of being civil was yesterday after dinner. I gave him a friendly greeting, he looked at me and said nothing, then continued on his way. So I've decided he's full of bullocks."

"Nice call!" There was no denying it now—James was thoroughly pleased and amused by this knowledge of her status with Marcus. Lily could find someone who was not as run of the mill, someone who suited her better.

"I figure I just need a break from boys right now," the witch commented.

"Or Hufflepuffs, anyway." James smirked. Lily kept her grin in check as she shook her head.

They reached the stone steps of the school sooner than was realized, as James had been talking about Quidditch and reassuring Lily that their House would undoubtedly win its next match against Ravenclaw.

"I mean, I know I overreacted to our loss. I would've been miffed either way, but I let other things influence me even more," he stated, shrugging as the pair stopped at the open doors.

"That's understandable. And Remus figured something along those lines," she replied.

"Did he?," the captain posited, "Just how much does Lupin really tell you about us?"

The Muggleborn laughed lightly as she looked at him, sensing the joke. He had just admitted a fault to her, shown insight for a possible mistake… the James Potter she had known for the previous five years would have never even considered doing such a thing, in her eyes. But this James Potter, the one she had gotten to know during sixth year, was so very different. He was considerate, selfless, funny, brave, and much less pompous, self-entitled, reckless, annoying, and all around foolish. He was calmer, more pleasant, and actually thought before he acted, and Lily found that she truly enjoyed being in his company. She had _never_ thought that feeling this way about this particular boy could _ever_ come to pass, and never hoped it would; but yet, here she was. In that moment, Lily felt that it was very safe to believe that she was finally seeing what others saw and admired about James Potter, and that she had quickly begun to like him as a person.

"I have a request of sorts, I think," the red head alerted kindly.

"A request?" he responded, giving a confused grin.

"Yes."

"Well, as long as I don't have to off anyone…"

Lily smiled to herself and then said, warmly:

"I'd like to lose the surnames. It'd be nice if you called me 'Lily' from now on."

These words hit James like a broomstick hurtling at its fastest speed.

He stared openly at her, dumfounded, processing what she had told her.

"You… you mean it? T-This is… real?" he asked slowly, at a loss for adequate verbalization.

"Yes. I want you to call me Lily," she affirmed, smiling softly yet brightly. His shock made her smile even more, and it was a rare moment indeed when James Potter was stunned and speechless, "It's about time, don't you think? After so long…"

His facial expression changed as he comprehended what had just been said to him, and it melted from starch astonishment into raw happiness. This may have appeared to be a relatively minor consensual agreement between the two but it was not—it was not minor in any sense, and signified a milestone.

"I think that's a request I'd be more than able to fulfill," James noted, grinning genuinely, lopsidedly as he gazed at her, "But, _only_ on one similar condition: you'll have to call me James. No more of this 'Potter' business."

"James…" Lily repeated gently, as if trying it out on her tongue.

He felt pleasure shoot through his entire body as though it had been injected at that very moment. He had literally dreamed of the day Lily Evans would address him by his birth name, and to him, it had never sounded as good coming out of anyone's mouth but hers, and possibly never would.

"I think I can manage that," she remarked, smiling once more. The Chaser nodded, the grin still ardently in place.

"Cheers, Ev—," he commenced, catching his would be mistake and rolling his eyes to himself. He was so enthusiastic he had forgotten to actually put into practice what they were talking about, "Cheers, _Lily_."

The correction came out slower and sounded quite heartfelt as his grin did not waver. The Muggleborn had a smile to match his as the two Housemates passed over the threshold and walked into Hogwarts.

Remus was back in the Hospital Wing on Monday, the last week of February. The sick mother fib circulated as usual but Snape appeared to be more incensed by it than ordinary. He now officially knew everything that was behind Remus' monthly absences and was much more resentful toward all those involved. The Slytherin was reminded of the hell he had gone through the previous month and how he had been live bait, and the worst part of it all was that he was being taunted by not even being allowed to out the monster! Severus made sure he let the three, disheveled Marauders know of his strong contempt through pointed stares and glares. If he had the chance to say something to them he would take it.

As for the Marauders themselves, they were in total shambles regarding the impending night. Remus had been very reluctant to go to the infirmary on Sunday and asked—or pleaded—that James and Peter come to the Shrieking Shack so he would not have to experience another full moon alone. They guaranteed him they would be present, that was not a question, but the three were all acutely aware of the concern on their minds: Sirius. Remus had not vocalized that he wanted his estranged friend to be there and Sirius had not approached the prefect asking for forgiveness so he _could_ join them, but the two stared at one another when the Lupin boy left for the Hospital Wing. Peter brought the subject up to James at the beginning of lunch that day as the captain played with his food, not truly hungry.

"He _wants_ to be with us tonight." Peter reported.

"Is that what he told you?" James answered.

"More or less! Sirius really wants to be there for Remus, Prongs. He wants to show him that he won't let him down again! And he's worried about us, mainly you—he's worried about keeping Moony in check!"

"We'll be fine!" the Potter boy alerted sharply.

"Will we?" Peter questioned, sounding and looking stressed. James peered at him then glanced down the table at Sirius, who was eating quietly with Frank.

"I know you're thinking about it too, James," the Pettigrew boy said sadly, looking at his friend. James shut his eyes, put his head in his hands, and exhaled loudly.

Sirius sat at a study table in Gryffindor's common room with his Care of Magical Creatures textbook and parchment in front of him, but he was gazing blankly at the pages not reading a word. The moon would be out in a couple of hours and Remus would become a werewolf once again, with two of his three companions at his side; it did not appear as though he was welcome. Sirius had truly hoped the full moon might bring them back together, restore unity, but here it was the day of and James and Remus were continuing with the silence. The thought of not being present—not being wanted—made him feel terribly alone. Full moons were a crucial, special, unprecedented aspect of the Marauders'' relationship, so being excluded was like a final, horrible wake up call to Sirius. It was awful.

When Lily strolled by the study tables carrying her school bag she noticed a wand lying forgotten on the floor. She bent down to pick it up then searched the common room for its potential owner. She was about to announce her discovery of it to everyone in the room until she noticed the wizard it had been closest to—Sirius; he sat not very far off with his back turned to her.

"Erm, Black?" Lily commenced, walking up on his right side and holding it out. He jumped a little then turned to look at her, having been staring out one of the windows. He had a book and parchment laid in front of him but he was not paying them much attention.

"Oh, Evans," he replied.

"Is this yours?" she wondered.

"Blimey—yeah! It is. Thanks," Sirius answered, taking it from her, "Where was it?"

"In the middle of the floor."

"I didn't even notice… thanks again," he murmured.

"Sure," Lily uttered, "What are you working on?"

"Oh, er, a Care assignment, but… I haven't gotten much done."

"I see. How long have you been down here for it?"

"Three quarters of an hour?" Sirius answered, smiling shamefully.

"Ah," she smiled, "Well what's halting your work, apart from the fact that it's work?" He studied her for a moment, his small grin still in place, but in the next instance he had buried his face in his hands and his shoulders seemed to collapse beneath him, completely unexpectedly.

"I can't think about anything but my mates!" he admitted in a raw voice and shaking his head. The red head was indeed bewildered, not expecting a real confession, and she dropped into the vacant chair across from him with an alarmed expression on her face.

"Oh! Oh, Black!" Lily attempted to soothe, glancing to make sure they were not being gawked at by Housemates.

"They bloody hate me Evans, won't even look at me! And I can't even blame them, but this is unbearable! I've ruined it all, I know. I'd take everything back! I just want a chance to apologize…" Sirius relayed, looking at her when he was through talking. He appeared utterly miserable and it pulled at the Muggleborn's heart strings, evoking real pity.

"Black, that is so awful for you," she notified quietly, frowning sadly.

"I've had all this time to reflect on my mistake, to understand what I did, and I only feel worse and more ashamed with each day. I just want to speak to them…" he reported, bringing his volume down to where hers was.

"Have you tried recently?"

"No. It's all I want but I know it's pointless. Remus and James are so angry."

"Well I think it may be worth another try. How long has it been since…" Lily commenced.

"It's been a month." Sirius noted dully.

"Well, I think the time they needed to be furious with you has passed, Black. It's beyond that, and there are other issues at hand now that you need to talk about," He gazed at her, intrigued, "Besides, I think they feel more sadness than you think, or they admit."

"What makes you say that?" he pondered.

"I've talked to them both—Remus and James. Neither likes being this distant from you," the prefect stated, thinking this would give him hope. But Sirius was staring at Lily oddly, as if she had done something very stupid, or if she had something gross on her face. Had she said something wrong and not known it?

"What?" he uttered, continuing to gaze at her.

"I-I said, I don't think Remus and James—" Lily began, feeling self-conscious.

"No, not that. You… you called James, _James_. Twice."

The strange look he had given her now made sense—he had been taken aback by her use of James' first name and not surname. The Muggleborn blushed and dropped her eyes to the table for a moment.

"Oh, yes!" she acknowledged a bit shyly.

"What… when did this happen? It's permanent?" Sirius remarked.

"I don't know. We've finally come to the point where we're… good with one another! We've finally reached an understanding."

"Wow…" he mumbled, looking at his lap. He had missed his best friend reaching another significant plateau with Lily Evans, and it made him wonder what else had happened. What was he missing?

"Black, really—if you're remorseful and you miss them this much, just try to talk to them again. You've got nothing to lose," Lily told him pointedly. He peered at her, "Start with Remus." Sirius did not reply initially but nodded, and then said:

"Thanks Evans. I think I will try again. It's about time."

"Okay," she half smiled.

"Sorry about unloading all this on you! I don't know, I just… I guess I cracked. It all finally came out, to someone who isn't Peter. Didn't mean to give you an earful; I'm sure you weren't expecting to be my therapine when you walked by!" he chuckled.

"Your what?"

"My therapine… you know, those people who Muggles go see and talk to when they need help, or are mental… I've heard about them."

"Oh, _therapists_!," she lightly laughed, "Yes, well, I've talked to every Marauder now but Pettigrew, so, I'm used to it."

"Who would've ever thought that Lily Evans would be the one to talk us through this." Sirius observed.

"Yeah, go figure," the prefect uttered, feeling a little bashful. He was right, nonetheless. If someone would have told her she would aid the Marauders' friendship in the future even year a ago, she would have laughed herself right to a psych ward.

"Well I'll let you get back to your work. Remember, consider talking to them." Lily mentioned, getting up.

"Yes, I will," he nodded, "Thank you Evans."

"I hope it works out."

Peter and James entered their room as the time crept closer to 9 o'clock that night, intent on retrieving the Invisibility Cloak in order to make their way to the Shrieking Shack to meet Remus. Sirius was in the room at the same time and when they walked inside they were shocked to see him although they really should not have been; since the rift, he had been spending much more of his time in the dormitory. Either way, the three wizards looked at one another awkwardly. James and Peter knew he knew what they were doing and they felt incredibly uncomfortable, because it normally involved him and they were not extending his invitation.

"I'll grab it and we'll go, Pete," the Potter boy mumbled, walking quickly to his bed and making sure he did not make eye contact with his neighbor. Sirius watched him for only a bit before peering at his bedspread instead, while Peter gave the Black boy a remorseful glance.

"Let's go." James muttered once he had the Cloak from his trunk and was heading for the door again. Peter walked out first and the captain followed, but not before he hesitated with himself and threw Sirius a final look.

"We should just tell him to come with us!" Peter said, imploring, as they trudged down the staircase.

"It's not up to us, I told you earlier. That's Remus' decision, and he said nothing about it." James answered, sounding conflicted regardless.

"It's gone on too long; something has to change soon. This isn't working."

Back in the sixth years' dormitory, Sirius laid back on his bed, sighing as he put a hand over his eyes. A part of him had truly wished that they would have asked him to join them, or he would have spoken up and made his case, but a larger part knew Lily was right. Sirius had to speak to Remus first, and so he would miss his second full moon and worry all night about how they were holding up in order to do this the succeeding day. It was a month in the making so he had to make sure it was worth it.

When James and Peter returned to the castle on Tuesday (very) early morning, they were exceptionally exhausted and went straight to sleep. Their night as Animagi had not been particularly care free and easy; the werewolf had been agitated for some reason, perhaps because of the absence of the big dog, and spent a portion of the night acting out. The stag had to keep him at bay which resulted in wrestling and fighting between the two while the rat hid under furniture, quivering with fright and watching them. When the animals finally managed to go outside the Shack they explored the outskirts of the Forest before the sun rose. Sirius and Frank awoke around the same time that morning and planned to go to the Great Hall together to eat breakfast. The Black boy observed his two sleeping dorm mates due to the fact that both had left their drapes open, and he saw that James appeared somewhat battered, as if he had taken hits from a strong creature. Sirius felt sorry about this and hoped he could bring it up if his talk with Remus went well later that day, which he planned to do during dinner.

"Mr. Black and Longbottom—where are your two roommates?" McGonagall questioned during the first class of the day, after she had informed her pupils about the session's lesson.

Everyone turned to look at the pair which felt under extreme scrutiny. Sirius saw with Marlene and Frank was with Alice.

"Er!..." Sirius started.

"They are 15 minutes late and we are about to begin the lesson," the professor stated, sounding perturbed. The Slytherin males snickered while Snape glared knowingly at Sirius.

"T-They were in our room when we left for breakfast. We haven't seen them since." Frank explained.

"Hmm!," McGonagall vocalized, "Very well. Everyone, you have the instructions so you may begin!"

"Are they okay?" Marlene asked Sirius.

"They were sleeping," he told her matter-of-factly, causing her to smile faintly.

As it turned out, James and Peter missed all of Transfiguration (which their Head of House was _not_ happy about) but they came bustling into Charms right before it commenced, still looking quite tired. Peter shot straight for Sirius who had no partner as of yet, which surprised James and left him to momentarily freeze as he decided whom he could sit with now. He saw Michelle's desk had room for one more, consequently, and hurried to go be with her.

"We overslept." Peter steely commented as he sat down.

"I reckoned," Sirius responded, "McGonagall asked about you."

"Blimey! We're sure to hear about it, then. Just wonderful."

"So… how was it last night?"

"Oy—rough," Peter admitted wearily, "Poor Prongs. He had to keep Moony in control, who was pretty wild for a lot of the night. They were fighting… I hid a lot because I know Remus would've trampled me. He was so annoyed. We didn't get too much time outside but he did calm down."

"Yeah… I saw James when I woke up. He looked a bit banged up." Sirius remarked lowly.

"We all wanted you there, Padfoot…" There was silence before the Black boy revealed:

"I'm going to talk to Remus later. Apologize, again."

Peter looked at him hopefully, as if Remus had already forgiven him.

"Yeah. I feel like if it doesn't work now, maybe… just hope he'll listen to me."

Over where the Ravenclaws were clustered, Michelle had questions for her boyfriend when he took a seat.

"James, where were you last lesson? McGonagall asked your roommates about you!," she started. He opened his mouth to speak but she cut across him, gasping, "_James_! You look like you fell off your broom! What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm, er, I'm fine," the captain said.

"Why weren't you in class?"

"Peter and I overslept. We stayed up late last night doing homework…"

"Why do you look this way?" Michelle pondered, touching his face.

"It's nothing. Erm, I just, I just took a nasty fall in my room, is all; tripped over some books. I'm all right." James relayed, glancing over at Peter and Sirius. He'd need to mend himself when he had a free period.

"Well, okay…" the blonde uttered.

The couple had made up on Sunday when James went to seek her out, knowing he would have to make the first move in order to mollify her. He told her he was sorry for not considering her feelings and promised to speak to Dorcas soon, which Michelle readily accepted, for she cited that she had missed him "terribly" since Thursday. James still did not know what he was going to say to Dorcas and knew it was going to be very awkward, but he supposed he had to at least attempt it.

The bell rang and the last few entering students hurried to their seats as Flitwick prepared to address his class and closed the door with a silent spell.

"Nice of you to be here, captain! You owe me an explanation about Transfiguration." Dorcas alerted from her desk with Mary, smirking. James smiled in a defeated fashion but he could see his girlfriend frown out of the corner of his eye at the comment. Perhaps he should make the talk a priority…

* * *

A/N: In the next chapter? See if Remus accepts Sirius' apology and the Marauders are finally reunited! (You all should know the answer to this, though. Lol).


	29. All the Luck In the World

A/N: Christmas was in the air! Did you feel it? (Unless you don't celebrate it, which is also cool). I'm such a sucker for the holidays :) Loves them. I also love new readers, and would like to thank _Serenity984_ for the thorough review. I felt so modest and pleased you love this story that much.

Anywho, here is the next chapter, readers.

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 29**

Sirius was so nervous about speaking to Remus that he completely lost his appetite for lunch and chose to mentally rehearse what he was going to say in the Room of Requirement instead. Consequently, he ended up missing the chance to go during lunch and had to reschedule for dinner; he ate an early meal with Peter and seemed to sallow his food whole.

"Earlier you didn't want to see food and now you're not even bothering to chew," the Pettigrew boy observed, watching his friend finish his plate.

"Nerves, either way." Sirius answered.

"I don't know if I've ever _seen_ you nervous."

"You probably haven't. This is only the second time in my life I can ever remember being this edgy."

Peter was interested to know what the other instance had been but knew he was likely to not receive an answer if he inquired. What was more, Sirius was done eating and now stood up to depart.

"I'm off, then," he announced, quickly rubbing his hands on his robes.

"Marauders' speed!" Peter told him, hoping for the best. The Black boy nodded once then left the Gryffindor table, exiting the Great Hall as the majority of Hogwarts' students were entering to consume their dinners. He saw the lion sixth years along the way but said nothing, though he glanced at James; James caught the look.

"Sirius is going to talk to Remus." Peter stated the second James sat down across from him. The Potter boy gawked at him.

"W-What?" he uttered.

"Yeah. He may end all of this separation tonight!"

James could think of nothing to say in response and continued to look astonished, but in the pit of his stomach he could feel a strong flicker of hope ignite.

Sirius exhaled as he stared at the infirmary's closed door. Behind this barrier was the opportunity to flourish or fail and it was causing him tremendous anxiety. However, he knew he could not stand there forever so had to muster the resolve to just walk inside. As he reached for the door handle it was opened from the inside, and out walked Madam Pomfrey.

"Black!" she exclaimed, stopping short of him.

"Er, hello Madam Pomfrey," he remarked.

"What is it?"

"I want to see Remus."

"Of course you do; I reckoned as much," the nurse commented.

"Yep." Sirius half smiled, starting to move past her to get inside.

"And what do you think you're doing?" she demanded, halting him.

"Seeing Remus?" he replied, confused.

"I have a quick errand to run, Black, and you know no students are allowed inside when I am not present! This door stays locked."

"But—"

"On the other hand! My assistant house elf is here to oversee until I get back, and she knows to fetch Professor Dumbledore in case any major disruptions or problems occur. And you're alone, without Pettigrew or Potter, so that would lessen the chance for unnecessary excitement…," Pomfrey explained, eyeing him. There was brief silence, "I will be back shortly!" The nurse then briskly walked off without another glance, leaving Sirius a bit surprised. So, she was allowing him entry?

He pushed the door open carefully and peered inside, only to see a small house elf with a white apron rushing to the door.

"No students withouts Madam Pomfrey!" she alerted in a high yet cute voice.

"Oh, it's okay! She told me it was okay! I'm just here to see my friend—that's all," Sirius told her, "I won't disrupt anything."

The house elf studied him skeptically but said nothing else as he moved to the most private part of the room where Remus usually was. The prefect's curtains were drawn and Sirius could see his silhouette sitting upright in the bed. The Black boy took a very deep breath and wished for all the luck in the world before gently pulling some of the curtains aside.

Remus' head instantly snapped to see who was entering his domain and beheld his roommate.

"So, this would've been awkward if this hadn't been your bed!," Sirius shakily joked, feeling scared. He silently gulped, "Uh, hiya." Remus gazed at him for awhile before muttering:

"Hey."

"May I… sit?"

The Lupin boy nodded as his eyes averted away from Sirius, and the visitor felt like the weight of a building had been lifted off his chest; the fact that Remus had not turned him away was vast encouragement. Sirius quickly sat on a chair, and let the curtains fall back into place as he took in his friend's appearance.

"You look kinda rough. Marks here and there," he reported.

"Yeah… mostly from James. It's not nearly as bad as last month, though." Remus answered, folding his arms.

"You're right," Sirius noted, nodding and peering at his clasped hands. There was elongated silence, "Thanks for seeing me."

"What exactly are you here for?" the prefect asked, although he was fairly certain he knew the answer. The other teenager continued to gaze at his lap for a tad while he deliberated over how to reply.

"Remus, I still don't even expect you to forgive me, a-and you'd be right in being angry with me for the rest of our lives, but I have to try again," Sirius commenced, "I have to explain myself _again_ and hope you'll forgive me, because it's still eating at me."

The Lupin boy seemed somewhat shocked and nothing immediately came to mind for him to respond so his dorm mate continued on:

"I hate what I did to you—it was so bleeding selfish. This past month has been terrible for me, and I've only been ignored by you two, so I can only imagine how all this has been for you."

"Far from fun." Remus acknowledged, concentrating on Sirius with a slightly furrowed brow.

"I know. I can never apologize enough for letting your secret get to someone else without your permission, for using you like a toy. I ignored your dignity but more obviously your friendship," Sirius commented, "James realized that right away, it was why he was so upset. But stupid me!..."

Remus looked away and sighed.

"You're not stupid, Sirius. What you _did_ was stupid," he mumbled. The Black boy peered at him with awe. He was hearing him out, listening to him!

"I've been miserable ever since the last full moon. I deserved to be alone, to live with what I did—I know. But, I was so lonely without you lot. You're all I have and I had to admit that I put you mates at risk… and it was an awful thought. I'll never do it again."

This time Remus was studying Sirius with something akin to awe, but it fell away when he stared at his legs instead.

"And what about your punishments from Dumbledore? Have you spoken to the Potters and Snape?" the prefect pondered.

"Yeah," Sirius admitted in a low voice, "McGonagall oversaw my talk to Snape, actually, to make sure we didn't attack each other and that I really did it. It was in her office, a few days after it happened. He looked disgusted, didn't say one word. He just nodded when I was done and walked out."

"And the Potters?..."

"It was hard telling them… I knew they'd be disappointed. Having to write out what I did was the biggest realization for me. I mentioned how angry James was as well and begged them not to involve him, or ask him to talk to me; I didn't want to make it any worse than I had. They took a few days to reply, and when they wrote back it was mostly from Dad."

"What'd he say?" Remus posited.

"Everything everyone else told me. Regret, disbelief. But theirs was different from what I always received from my own mother and father, and because their disappointment actually made me feel low." Sirius reported.

"And not being able to go to Hogsmeade or Quidditch matches, and serving detentions?" the Lupin boy probed after a stint of silence.

"I don't think about it much. Wormtail will forgo certain things to make sure I'm not by myself, and Marlene spends loads of time with me too, so, it's not that bad. I really don't care about my punishment though because it's my fault and I'll endure it. The only thing that gets to me and I want to change is the Marauders—I do not want to ever miss another full moon with you." Sirius affirmed, looking at him with sincerity. Remus peered back, tight lipped and with heavily drawn brows; he appeared to be on the verge of something and his roommate was afraid of what it might be.

"I wish I could have recorded this entire conversation for Peter and James, because I don't think they'll ever believe me that Padfoot was this sentimental," he announced, a flimsy smile appearing on his tired face.

Sirius felt like a firework had exploded in his stomach and bombarded it with dosing brightness. Remus had called him 'Padfoot'! He was smiling. That was it—he had done it. Sirius had finally earned his friends' forgiveness. The Black boy's face broke into an enormous grin, the first true grin he had given since the previous full moon. He was getting his brothers back!

"Or how nervous I was. This is ruddy terribly for my reputation at Hogwarts!" Sirius joked.

"Yeah, well, do something mental again and we'll have it as blackmail or revenge." Remus said, half smiling.

"No worries—I think I'm done having moments where I'm utterly off my rocker."

"Well, when Madam Pomfrey gets back, I reckon I'll be ready to get back to Gryffindor Tower," Remus exhaled, rubbing his eyes. Sirius nodded in understanding, continuing to grin. The prefect's demeanor changed somewhat, consequently, "I know you are truly sorry Sirius, and that's why I'm ready to move past this." The other peered back at him and they soaked in the final gravity of the moment, putting it to rest.

"And I'm thankful," the Black boy replied. They then heard the house elf's voice as she exclaimed 'Missus!' and knew the nurse must be back from running her errand.

James looked at Dorcas one last time before finally deciding that he may as well do it now, while the subject was on his mind. Nothing else was currently keeping him occupied, anyway; he had homework upstairs that could be completed later and Peter had run off somewhere, leaving him alone. _Well I can finally tell Michelle I did it_, he thought, getting up from his seat and walking to the side of the common room where his teammate was. Should James talk to her in this room or maybe walk the castle floor with her? If she reacted badly and began yelling then it'd be better to speak to her while they strolled the school alone, to avoid the other Gryffindors' attention. Lily was right, though—he was just going to have to be careful and casual about how he said it.

Dorcas was with Mary, Lily and Marlene and they were laughing about something.

"Dorcas—want to go for a walk?" the Potter boy proposed when he approached them.

"Er, what?" she answered, looking perplexed and chuckling.

"Pretty random, Potter!" Mary noted, smiling wryly. Marlene giggled.

"Well, I just wanted to talk about something." James clarified, smiling himself.

"Oh!... is that so! Really?" the Chaser responded, surprised.

"Yeah."

The witches all now seemed intrigued and curious, looking at him, but Dorcas felt a small amount of eagerness while James glanced at Lily, hoping she would realize what the talk would be about.

"Hiya!" someone new interjected. They looked to see Peter standing near James and smiling.

"Pete," the captain acknowledged.

"Peter. Peter… oh—Peter!," Dorcas then remarked, appearing and sounding like she suddenly realized something, "Our lesson!"

"Yep!" he uttered.

"James, I have my Defense lesson with Peter. I can't right now," she relayed, regretting the conflict in her schedule.

"Well, no problem. I can wait for another time." James notified.

"Maybe when we're done?"

"What's going on?" the Pettigrew boy inquired, gazing at his dorm mate.

"Oh, nothing really. I just—"

But James did not finish his sentence because at that moment two Gryffindors had entered through the portrait hole and were walking toward the sixth years. They were speaking to each other, animatedly, and wore pleased grins; James stared at them.

"It's… it's Remus and Sirius!" Peter announced, also gazing in awe.

"They've made up?," Dorcas inhaled, "But Remus must've just gotten back!"

"I know!" Marlene concurred.

"Look at them!... they're _talking_! They look happy!" Mary noted.

"I think they did make up!" Lily said, starting to smile.

"Oh, this is brilliant!" Marlene commented, beaming.

"Well done!" Dorcas uttered, looking encouragingly at the boys.

Peter appeared thrilled while the Potter boy continued to gawk at his roommates. In the next instance, Sirius and Remus approached the group of six. There was enthusiastic silence as eye contact was exchanged.

"Well," Remus commenced, shattering the quietness and looking around, "Cheers, everyone!"

"Always good to have you back, Remus!" Mary greeted. He nodded quickly as Lily smiled.

"It's never an easy trip home, but… things have already gotten better," The prefect then grinned at the Marauders, "Peter, James—Sirius welcomed me back!"

Peter and Remus were both wearing very happy grins as the quartet all studied one another. This moment seemed to be the one they had all thought of and anticipated, and its outcome was so very important; James seemed to be the one they all needed to hear from. What would his response be? As it were, he and Sirius were gazing exclusively at each other, the latter in a baited fashion.

"So, you've… you've sorted it all out? It's over with?" the captain posited slowly, glancing at Remus. The Lupin boy nodded eagerly but Sirius had words.

"Remus understood—he listened to me. It's fine now; we're good. It's finally done, Jamesy," he commented, smiling unsurely and hopefully. There was only a second of silence before James answered, in a hoarse voice:

"It's about bloody time!"

The Potter boy broke into a massive, emotional grin like the others and moved forward to his best friend. He shook Sirius' right hand while clapping him firmly on the back and Sirius gladly returned the favor, feeling like he could literally explode from relief and joy. He had his best friends back. Peter laughed merrily as Remus continued to grin, and the witches smiled gratefully and whooped with pleasure.

"Brilliant!" Dorcas noted.

"Oy, there's so much to tell you, you nit! I've forgotten half of it!" James exclaimed, playfully shoving the Black boy's shoulder.

"I'm sure! I've got my own share of things." Sirius replied, chuckling.

"Like what? How pathetic you were without us?" Remus joked.

"Low blow, Moony!" Peter said smiling.

"Come on—let's get upstairs." James told them, feeling like there was a pep in his step.

"We'll see you girls later!" Sirius warmly bid, waving to them.

"Oh—Peter! Our lesson." Dorcas reminded as all of the males moved to go.

"What?," he said, looking at her, "_Oh_… yeah." Their Defense session, of course.

Peter peered at his three newly acquainted friends, beginning to feel disappointment in not being able to participate in this immediate reunion of theirs.

"So there's how you feel about Apparition, what you smelled in your Amortentia, how my parents reacted to what you did… I mean, I heard from them but I want to hear what they said to _you_… what Moony and I have put up with from Snape since it happened—oh, and Michelle news!" James blabbered as the trio walked to the boys' staircase. Peter felt even more put out when he realized they did not look back at him for even a second….

The Marauders stayed up until two o'clock in the morning, verbally catching up on what they had missed out on as a foursome. Frank had been ecstatic to see they were a cohesive unit again when he entered the room to prepare for bed, and he spoke with them for an hour before going to sleep. After that the boys went back to the common room to continue talking so their roommate could sleep without disturbance. Peter fell asleep by 2:10AM and Remus kept nodding off in his own chair, leaving Sirius and James wide awake and still going.

"I'm really glad this is all over with, Padfoot." James stated, exhaling. He glanced at him.

"Me too, James. You have no idea," Sirius replied, "I'll never do anything like this again to one of my mates." The captain nodded.

"Well, we can go back to raising hell at Slug Club meetings!" he remarked, half smiling.

"And trying to be the first ones to actually Apparate on Saturdays," the Black boy added.

"I also expect you back at Quidditch practices."

"Yeah, especially since I'm not allowed at the real matches!"

"_Sirius_ may not be, but Padfoot is…" James noted slyly. Sirius gaped at him before a wide grin spread across his handsome face.

"Prongs, it is so good to have you back!" the Black boy declared.

"I know. I'm amazing, aren't I?"

Sirius laughed once, and then stared at the carpet for a moment before responding:

"You are, actually. You were there for Remus when I clearly wasn't; you're the better wizard."

"Sirius, if we didn't think you were a good wizard we wouldn't have cared so much about what you did. We were upset because we knew you _were_ better than what you did," James told him, "Like Wormtail told me and Moony—everyone makes mistakes."

"That was my last involving you three." Sirius promised.

"Good, because no one else has the gall to keep up with me!"

Remus then snorted from his chair and opened his eyes, peering at the pair bleakly. They looked back.

"Oy, we've got Herbology right now!" he announced in a cracked voice, evidently unaware of the time.

"Oh, we sure do! Hurry there Remus and we'll meet you with all our packs!" Sirius encouraged as James grinned.

* * *

It became very clear to the rest of Hogwarts that the Marauders were a quartet once more very quickly on Wednesday morning. They sat together at breakfast, were noticeably loud, and did nothing but smile and laugh. The Gryffindor House was the most pleased to see this because it had its legendary group back and the potential for fun mischief again; the Quidditch players were happy to realize they would have their old captain back. The sixth year Slytherins, conversely, were vexed to see the foursome back together, especially Snape. This meant they had resolved their differences regarding the full moon and would be disgustingly close again. He had wanted their friendship to decay, not repair itself! They deserved misery!

Another significant event of the day occurred during the start of lunch and also involved Gryffindor, namely James and Lily. The sixth year lions were sitting together as a set of ten, something that had not happened for numerous weeks now, and it was fantastic.

"Okay, can I just make an announcement that James still has not received _one_ detention? Since we've started sixth year!" Sirius proclaimed.

"Oy. We allow him back and this is what he talks about," the Potter boy answered, shaking his head. There were grins.

"Don't get miffed with me just because _you're_ making Moony look like a Death Eater!"

Remus looked good naturedly offended.

"It _is_ weird that Prongs hasn't gotten in trouble!" Peter noted, smiling. _Or more like have gotten caught for anything_, James thought, smirking.

"I have to agree! Who are you?" Mary added.

"Oh, now! I think it's really good of him! He's turning a new piece of parchment," Alice remarked assuredly as Marlene nodded.

"Exactly! Don't let Sirius pull you back in, Prongs—this is a good thing," Remus alerted. The lions laughed.

"Remus and Alice are right. Leave James alone, everyone." Lily said, smiling and preparing to eat pasta.

The air of joking suddenly vanished as nearly every sixth year Gryffindor gaped at the red head. She did not initially notice, but when the silence hit her she glanced up and saw her Housemates looking at her intently. Lily was startled.

"W-What? What happened?" she uttered, feeling scrutinized.

"You…" Frank slowly began, still staring.

"I what?"

"What you just said!" Mary commented, gawking.

"You called him _James_!" Dorcas finally announced. This statement caused a switch to click in not only Lily's head but in James' as well, who had been the nearly the only one who had not been staring at her in surprise. The Black boy had not either but he had been smiling surreptitiously, catching why they had all been stunned. The Muggleborn felt a vivid blush break out on her face and wondered why this was her reaction whenever someone noticed her recent use of James' first name.

"Well that's my name, isn't it?" the Potter boy quipped, attempting to break through the moment.

"Yeah, for _us_ to call you!" Peter answered.

"She's been calling you 'Potter' since the day you two met!" Marlene pointed out.

"Was it an accident?" Remus asked, thinking this was a plausible answer.

"No." Lily responded, assuming she must be as bright as a Quaffle. Mary's mouth fell open a tad.

"We use our birth names now! I call her Lily, she calls me James. Accept it people." James alerted, grinning. Alice's and Peter's mouths joined Mary's.

"When did this happen?" Dorcas questioned.

"Days ago," the captain shrugged merrily.

"It's true. Found out myself." Sirius relayed.

"Wow!" Frank said.

"What brought it about?" Marlene posited, smiling.

"Growing up?" Lily proposed, looking at James and shrugging.

"It's official—Muggles are actually wizards and wizards are actually Muggles!" Mary uttered, setting a spoon down. Alice, Frank and Marlene laughed as Peter, Remus and even Dorcas had to grin; this _was_ a big deal.

"Hey, if you call James James, I am Sirius to you from now on. We're a packaged deal." Sirius told Lily. She grinned.

"Are we all done with surnames?" Peter wondered.

"I'm not!" Mary declared. Sirius and Alice laughed.

"Can it just be known that I was the first witch to call everyone by birth names? Way back in first year!" Dorcas stated.

"Seer of the future!" Frank quipped. It continued to be a cheerful meal for the ten of them and one they felt they deserved after such an uncomfortable rift. Who would have thought they could have ever gotten along so well?

Snape's disgust at the reunion of the Marauders was not going to dissipate any time in the foreseeable future, but what he found out the following day left him feeling exceptionally empty. The students of the castle liked to talk about one another's life events, real or rumored, so it inevitably got around that James Potter and Lily Evans were now on first name basis. This was significant because it was a part of Hogwarts' history that the two had a volatile relationship, and it was very evident to all that their relationship had been changing for the better this school year. Now, on top of the amicable alterations, the two Gryffindors had ceased using one another's surnames; it was a sight to behold, or hear. Severus, on the other hand, took the news as a total, crippling blow. His perception of his world at school had been changed since that fateful day at the lake after OWLs, and he was coping with it, but this was a change he did _not_ want to believe or accept.

Snape had _always_ counted on Lily's hate for Potter to see him through, to give him reassurance. Yes, they were in the same House. Yes, they were spending more time together because their year was. Yes, Potter clearly had years worth of feelings for her—but none of this mattered because Lily _did not like Potter to his core_! Their same disdain for James Potter had once been the icing on Snape's cake, it had made his friendship with Lily that more satisfying! He was no longer pleased to know that she and Hamilton were through when presented when this information; it was trivial in comparison! To know that she was now addressing this wizard, whom they had berated together, by his birth name, now that she was _embracing_ Potter, it left Severus feeling scared and helpless. She was becoming like the others… he really had lost her…. It was a terrible thing he could not stop.

March arrived right as the school week ended, and the sixth years had their fifth Apparition lesson on the first day of the new month. No one successfully Apparated into their hoop but there was another Splinching—Heather Leon, a Slytherin, left her right foot behind which caused quite a stir. The Marauders, however, had the most fun they had had at a lesson to date, chiefly because they were a group once more; much snickering came from their direction. Michelle was glad to see her boyfriend back to his joyous self and told him so on Monday as they left Care of Magical Creatures together.

"Testy James wasn't my favorite," she half smiled, hand in his.

"Mine either," he replied, grinning briefly.

"So Meadowes hasn't crossed the line since your last Quidditch match—you _must_ have talked to her. What'd you say?"

James immediately felt panic.

"Oh! Er!...," the captain began, wide eyed. He swiftly glanced back at Sirius and Dorcas, also walking and talking. What should he say?, "Uh, y-yeah! Yeah! I talked to her!"

"So what did you tell her?" Michelle pondered. _You started the lie genius, now finish it!_ he shouted at himself.

"I, erm, I just, just told her—asked her—to change her attitude towards you! I said you were bothered, a-and that bothered me, so I'd like it if she could be a lot nicer to you. Um, respectful." James explained, feeling like an idiot.

"And she agreed?"

"Yep!"

"Oh, thank you James! I knew you'd come through for me!" the blonde said, smiling and then kissing his lips, "It'll stop her horrendous attitude!"

"Yeah!..." James uttered, the guilt beginning. All right—_no_ more forgetting to talk to his teammate!

The Potter boy decided to bring up the Michelle issue the next day after the Gryffindor Quidditch team finished its practice. Sirius attended to the delight of everyone there (especially Elizabeth) and he asked his best friend if he wanted him to stay for the Dorcas talk.

"I wanna see how you're going to phrase this to her!" he revealed.

"So you want to see me struggle?" James replied.

"Basically."

"Why not? Maybe you'll be of help in some ironic way."

James asked Dorcas if she would stay with him for a minute after everyone else left the locker room and she consented, so it was just the sixth years after the other five departed (discussing the likelihood of rain in the coming days).

"So what is it, Potter?" she commenced, looking content.

"You're kicked off the team." Sirius answered, smirking. He was ambling around in the background, toying with various items to appear nonchalant. Dorcas raised her eyebrows.

"No!," James combated, scowling at his friend while pulling at the neck of his robes, "It's about, uh, Michelle."

"Parks?" she questioned after a moment of silence, gazing at him.

"Yeah."

"What about her?"

"Well, your disagreement in the locker room that day got me thinking about a few things. You two really went off…" James started cautiously.

"Well she just came in here like the headmaster or something!" the Meadowes girl pointed out.

"Yeah, I know it got to you."

"She thinks being your _girlfriend_ is an excuse to do anything, James. I'm sorry."

The captain exhaled as Sirius walked over to the pair.

"It's just caught my attention that you two aren't exactly… compatible." James relayed. Dorcas did not give him a verbal response but rather smirked as she folded her arms; she shrugged.

"And because you're my friend and she's my girlfriend, you come into contact a lot," he continued.

"Tell me about it," she grumbled.

"So, I thought, maybe… maybe just cool out some when you _are_ together. Relax a little, focus on other people—just so there's less tension. And that's for both of you, not just you! It'll make situations loads easier, and you'll be less edgy."

"Yeah, don't talk to her if you don't have to, if that works." Sirius added, standing near the Potter boy.

"Exactly," James concurred, glancing at his roommate, "I'm not trying to put either of you in the cauldron— I just want to avoid future hostility, if possible."

"So you want me to hold my tongue?" Dorcas posited, arms still crossed.

"Er… if you can? She'll do the same."

"I'll do what Sirius suggested, then. I will no longer say more than two words to her. Ever. That should solve the problem."

"Really?" the Black boy inquired, surprised.

"Yes. If you want me to be cool James, not an issue; I just won't say anything to Parks anymore! Focus on other people, like you said," she elaborated.

"Well, okay!," James stated, appearing relieved, "Thanks Dorcas! I didn't want this to be weird or hard."

"It's perfectly fine with me. So long as things are easier for you."

Well, this predicament sat well with Dorcas in fact. If she now had a reason to no longer acknowledge Michelle, she was not going to fight it.

* * *

A/N: I can't believe the new year will be here tomorrow. I blinked and 2010 was over. I can't take how quickly time has passed ever since I graduated high school. Ergh! I'm getting old…. I also can't believe I started this fic two years ago! Eek. Wow. Doesn't seem that long. Next chapter in January!


	30. Cannibal

A/N: I love when I get new readers who enjoy the story; it makes me think I'm doing something right! Thanks to you new ones! On a different note, I just wrote a piece that will appear in a future chapter and I'm so excited about it; it involves Lily and James, wink.

To _lasting illusion: _you may be onto something, lol! I think you caught what's in between the lines. _MusicalMarvel: _Michelle is a bit irritating, ha ha. She is out of the picture soon enough. _vmc: _James is actually a Chaser in the books—he's a Seeker in the movies.

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 30**

Remus' 17th arrived not very long after March had begun, on the tenth. He was undoubtedly looking forward to the day and when Sirius mentioned they had to do something worthwhile for it, Peter suggested merging the celebration with James' birthday, which was at the end of month. Remus and James had previously combined birthday festivities a few times, the last time being in fourth year where they threw a large party in the Gryffindor common room (mostly James' doing). Mrs. Potter was also always certain to send the Lupin boy a nice gift since he shared the same birth month as her son. Sirius and Peter were all for the idea and even Remus happily agreed, but he questioned what they would do. James produced an idea he was very thrilled about after an hour of deliberation and shared it with his friends.

"Hogsmeade, but at night! We'll go after dinner, or skip it—whatever—but we'll just spend a few hours having fun! And we will definitely go to the Broomsticks for drinks," he told them.

"Alcoholic drinks." Sirius grinned.

"To celebrate our adulthood!," James nodded, smiling, "And we'll invite all of our House's year, like we did for Sirius' birthday. It'll be wicked."

"What about us who won't be 17 yet? It's a lot of us—me, Alice, Frank, Dorcas and Mary. No drinks for us." Peter announced.

"Aside from the fact that Rosmerta thinks we're saints, we're Marauders, Wormtail. We are skilled in being stealthy, and alcohol _will_ make it into your beverages!" Sirius explained. James laughed once.

"Okay, so you want to go into Hogsmeade, break curfew, and let those who aren't of age drink alcohol? Is that correct?" Remus wondered, looking at the two. They peered back.

"Yes, Moony. Happy birthday!" Sirius exclaimed.

"You only become an adult once so you have to do it well!" James commented, grinning.

"It does sound cool…" Peter noted, half smiling.

"It'd better be worth it." Remus remarked, shaking his head and feeling a smirk form on his lips. His dorm mates knew, consequently, that he was consenting.

There was a Slug Club meeting a few days before Remus turned 17 and for the first time since January all of the Gryffindors went.

"What are you lot doing for Remus?" Lily asked as the quartet walked to the Potions master's domain.

"Not too much on his actual birthday." James stated.

"Yeah, get him his favorite cake, books he wants, maybe set something on fire," the Black boy said. Jessica giggled.

"We're going to celebrate our birthdays together at the end of March."

"Oh, something bigger," the prefect mentioned, "So you'll set something on fire then?"

"Probably." Sirius attested.

"I don't want to have to bust you on their birthdays, Black," she smirked.

"It's Sirius, Lily—_Sirius_," he corrected, pointing at her. She reddened a bit as James smiled.

"I know, I'm sorry; it's just habit!" Lily admitted.

"Work at it a little harder. You don't call James 'Potter' anymore."

"Different circumstances…. But I am working on it."

James glanced at Lily out of the corner of his eye as he tried not to smile even more. It was still great to hear her say his first name…. Professor Slughorn was delighted to see all of the lions present and wasted no time in acknowledging this when the meeting began.

"Mr. Black—it is terrific to have you back!," he hailed, "I daresay you left not only your Housemates a bit lonelier but your brother as well!" Both Sirius and Regulus made repulsed faces while their friends sniggered in amusement.

"I hope circumstances have improved in your life?" the older wizard inquired.

"Er, yeah. They have." Sirius confirmed, rubbing his neck shyly. James smiled at the floor.

"Very good! Well, welcome to the first meeting of March everyone! Pleased to see your faces as always!"

"Things are better with your brother and his shadow, then." Rosier muttered to Regulus.

"I suppose," the fourth year answered with crossed arms.

"It's unfortunate. I'd hoped it'd be permanent," scoffed Snape. His blond roommate chuckled.

Severus had watched the Gryffindors come in and saw how unnaturally at ease, comfortable and amiable they looked interacting with one another—how Lily looked with _Potter_. It made him want to shove his wand down the other boy's throat. Snape thought that if he personally heard them call each other by their birth names he would suffocate to death.

"Now, I happen to have a friendly relationship with Darlene Torrick, the proprietor of a little well known business that specializes in historical valuables!" Slughorn declared.

"House of Torrick?" a Hufflepuff questioned cheerfully. The professor nodded while smiling.

"I brought in a few trinkets for us to discuss and enjoy!"

"I broke a vase my mum bought from her when I was eight—I spent the entire weekend hiding from her spells!" Sirius told James. As anticipatory murmurs started about the expensive items they were going to see, Snape was pulled from his painful contemplation regarding Lily's changing stance with the Marauders.

Remus awoke to screams and yells from his roommates on his birthday morning, and they surrounded his bed (minus Frank, whom had also been awaken). Sirius said he was happy to have another friend join him "in adulthood" as the Lupin boy gladly opened his modest pile of gifts. Lily had given him a decadent selection of chocolates from Honeydukes, Frank and Alice gave him a record of one of his favorite musicians, James presented him with a brand new chess set, and Sirius and Peter gave him a volume set of five books he had been wanting. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin had sent their son 17 galleons and a gold wizard's watch, although secondhand; the prefect did not seem to mind as he put it on proudly and sincerely thanked his friends for his gifts. Remus was able to thank the Gryffindor witches at breakfast for their presents and Abigail Holland bestowed him with a birthday kiss (on the cheek) after Charms that day, which left him blushing somewhat. The Marauders gathered in the Room of Requirement after dinner was finished where they had a special cake waiting for the Lupin boy.

"It's a really hairy dog?" he postulated, looking at it.

"It's a werewolf!" Peter revealed.

"Ooooh!..."

"It looks like one! For the most part." James attested.

"In the werewolf-dog's defense, the elves made it, so." Sirius commented.

"I totally see it now, yeah," Remus grinned, "It's fantastic. Thanks you lot—it's been a good day!" He tasted some of the cocoa frosting with his finger.

"As it should be!" Peter affirmed.

"Just wait until the end of March when we go to Hogsmeade! You think you had fun today!..." alerted James.

"What great mischief that will be!" Sirius smiled. The prefect rolled his eyes while smirking then said:

"Well, I don't mean to sound like a cannibal but this werewolf looks delicious! Where's the knife?"

The next Quidditch game of the season was on the 13th and featured Slytherin against Hufflepuff. Most people expected for the snakes to win the match and that is exactly what happened, although their victory irritated James because it now meant they were securely seated as the top Quidditch team.

"They essentially have a guaranteed spot for the final!," he lectured that same day before Gryffindor's practice began, "Even if they lose next month's match, it's still a good possibility. If we win the rest of ours we'd be tied, and that's still above Hufflepuff, for sure, and probably Ravenclaw too." (Sirius had detention that evening at 7pm with Dumbledore, for the full moon incident, so he was unable to attend the practice).

"So we're just fighting for our spot to play them in the final," remarked Kirby.

"It looks that way. And we all hate Slytherin so making it to the final is _crucial_! I want to be that other team and we bloody well deserve it, so we're gonna crush our opponents for our next two matches!" James exclaimed.

"Yeah! Ravenclaw stands no chance next week!" Rodrigo shouted.

"Spare no one!" Kirby added, raising his bat. The girls laughed.

"That's the right attitude, Beaters! Everyone has to have that mind set," the captain relayed.

"Oh, we do, James!" Amy assured. Dorcas and Elizabeth nodded.

"I don't like the feeling of losing." Mitchell revealed.

"That's motivation right there," James half grinned, "Everyone out, then! Keep Slytherin in your heads as we practice tonight!"

The Ravenclaw/Gryffindor game was set to take place on Wednesday the 19th and the lions practiced twice more before the day arrived, which included a weekend session. The Hogsmeade trip for March was also scheduled for the upcoming Saturday.

"You're coming to the match as Padfoot—come to the village as well." Peter suggested the night before the game after dinner.

"How would you three look running round with a huge black dog?" Sirius replied. James laughed.

"We can stay on the outskirts, and you can be a stray!"

"Yeah, I think Michelle would wonder why we're hanging out with a dog for hours," the Potter boy chortled.

"Thanks for the idea Pete, but I'll pass. I'll be there soon enough for James' birthday, and in human form," notified Sirius.

"When are we going to tell the rest of our year about that—invite them?" Peter questioned.

"Soon. Padfoot and I just need to work on the pitch we'll give them so they'll be convinced to go." James commented.

"Oy, I've also been thinking—we should slip Moony some Euphoria Elixir that night to make sure he's properly relaxed! He'll need it." Sirius alerted, smirking some.

"_That_ is a bloody marvelous idea!"

"Hiya," a witch then greeted. Their heads whipped around to see Mary standing by herself.

"Mary." Peter said.

"Macdonald." Sirius remarked.

"Have you three an idea where Remus is?" she posited.

"Prefects' meeting." James answered.

"Ah, that's right—Lily did say so. Right. Thanks." She then walked away from the trio.

"She's always asking about Remus…" Sirius murmured, watching her.

"Well, reckon we should get back to Thorne's essay? We've still got two feet." Peter announced.

"I won't be fully focused on anything until tomorrow's match is over," the captain responded, looking down at the goal post he had subconsciously drawn on his parchment.

The sun shone meekly the next day and there was chilly wind to accompany it, although it was not too strong. Mary surprised everyone by straightening her normally curly black hair and putting it in a ponytail; it flattered her.

"What's the occasion Mary?" Alice smiled that morning at breakfast.

"Nothing, really," she replied, "But, I am going to ask Remus to Hogsmeade today." Her roommates all stared at her and there was a moment of silence.

"For a date?" Dorcas inquired, looking shocked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I clearly missed all the signs! Do you fancy him? Is that it?"

"Yes it is!," Marlene stated, beaming, "Or at least I think it is! Mary, I've thought you liked Remus, and for ages!"

"Lily and I, too! We just weren't sure! So it's true, then?" Alice added.

"How blind am I!" Dorcas pondered, shaking her head. Mary laughed a bit and then admitted:

"Yes, yes… I do. I have since last year. I love how sweet he is!"

"Remus is terrific, Mary. You picked a good one," grinned Lily.

"Oh, you two would be a cute couple!" Marlene swooned.

"You should tell him how you feel." Alice encouraged.

"And the twins start…" smirked Dorcas.

"Is there anyone _you_ want to admit to fancying, Dorcas?"

"Not in this lifetime; focus back on Mary."

"So when are you going to ask him?" the red head questioned.

"Probably after the match. I just hope _Holland_ hasn't already done it!" the Macdonald girl attested.

"Gryffindor love!" Marlene remarked.

"Frank and I would like another couple for company. Mary and Marlene—get on it!" Alice advised. The Muggleborn and pureblood both smiled.

"Like you said, Mary—make sure you get Holland out of the picture," reminded Dorcas.

"Without having to use magical injury." Lily added, buttering a piece of toast. The Meadowes girl smirked.

The Quidditch game began right after the school's fourth period ended and before lunch. Both the lions and the ravens were eager and emotionally invested, ready to win this match since both Houses had lost their previous one. Sirius discovered he would not be able to attend as Padfoot because McGonagall assigned him detention with Filch during the match since Dumbledore would be among the spectators; needless to say, it irked him. The remaining sixth year Gryffindors sat together to cheer their Housemates on while Michelle hoped her boyfriend stayed safe but did not win. The game was fairly brief and lasted a little under 45 minutes, and to the delight of the Gryffindors, their House won—Mitchell caught the Snitch before Phines. James was very satisfied with the outcome but his girlfriend had to hear comments from other Ravenclaws.

"Maybe you should row with Potter the next time we face them, to throw their game off," a fifth year wizard offered as the match had ended. Michelle, who was walking with Tracy and Fiona, merely looked at the boy.

Lunch was quite enjoyable at the Gryffindor table and Sirius rejoined the lions to celebrate.

"So ask Remus already!" Dorcas urged Mary.

"He's with all his mates, and they're laughing!" she replied, peering down at the Marauders and Frank.

"Pull him aside—they won't notice," observed Alice.

"What if Abigail Holland has already nicked him?" Dorcas taunted.

"Fine." Mary said, making an agitated face. She got up and prepared to walk to the other side of the table.

"So another trip with Bruce, Marlene?" Lily wondered.

"Yes."

"Isn't it about time he asked you out already?," Dorcas uttered, "It's like Lily and Hamilton, part two." The McKinnon girl blushed some.

"Well I'm definitely going alone—haven't done that in awhile," the red head revealed.

"Brilliant—we can go together." Dorcas stated.

"Frank and I will likely join you two," alerted Alice.

"Oy—how could I have forgotten?" the Chaser suddenly exclaimed. They all gazed at her, surprised.

"What?" Marlene questioned.

"Thinking about the match… I haven't told you yet!," Dorcas commenced, looking at them, "After practice the other night, James came to me about his dear, blonde Ravenclaw!"

"_Oooh_—what'd he say?" Alice probed. Comprehension dawned on Lily and she was very keen to hear what exactly James had told his teammate in regard to Michelle.

However, in the next moment there was a relatively noisy bang that resounded from the Gryffindor table that caught everyone's attention. A large white cloud began to form as the professors at the High Table began to attune to the distraction as well.

"What is that?" McGonagall demanded, already on her feet and preparing to walk to her House's table. A lot of laughter then started, including some from the Marauders, and Mary returned to her spot with her friends.

"Mary, what!—" Lily started, gaping. Mary appeared calm but had some of the white substance on the front of her robes.

"Some third years got a little magic happy—wands went off. Your brothers' mates, Marlene," she explained. Dorcas laughed once, "I wasn't the only lucky one to be hit with it."

"Well… did you get to ask?" Alice inquired.

"Oh no. I was on the verge when the bang went off and kind of ruined the mood," Mary continued in the same tranquil voice, "We only got as far as him commenting on my hair, which I will now probably have to wash."

Lily glanced at Marlene, wanting to laugh at the irony of the situation and not knowing what to say to Mary that would sound appropriate.

"Things like this don't happen at regular schools."

Lily had an interesting encounter in the lions' common room later in the afternoon with a seventh year wizard. Paul Tanlind, a good friend of Lily's ex-boyfriend, approached her while she was with Alice and asked her out to Hogsmeade. The red head was thoroughly shocked.

"You're not still seeing Hamilton, are you?" he inquired, smirking some.

"Er, no! No… I was never 'officially' seeing him anyway," Lily replied, "But if I can be honest, Paul, I'd rather not take a date on Saturday. I just want to go with my friends."

"I get it. Maybe it's too soon to ask," he affirmed, shrugging nonchalantly, "But let me know when it _is_ okay to ask again."

Paul gave her a smile and then walked off. Lily promptly turned to Alice.

"What in Godric Gryffindor!" Alice stated.

"Does he not care that I used to date his friend?" the prefect asked disbelievingly.

"Apparently not."

"Well I do! I could never go out with him after Edmund; there's too much history! It'd feel like Ed all over again, ugh. No thank you—too dodgy."

"I want to know what Edmund would think, or if he even knows Paul asked you," the pureblood revealed.

Dorcas asked Mary if she got back around to approaching Remus about the village that evening at dinner and the Muggleborn admitted she had not.

"Mary, I've always loved that you don't shy away from things—we have that in common. Don't let this be the first time!" Dorcas told her.

"All right! I'll do it when dinner is over," she commented.

The Marauders, meanwhile, were discussing a more grave matter: Voldemort. They noted how silent he and his followers had been as of late and wondered if this meant something significant was being planned for the future. The wizarding world could never truly feel comfortable or secure while he was at large.

Alex Farrell caught up to the witches after the meal and requested to speak to Dorcas for a minute so they went on without her; when they entered the common room Mary announced she was going to talk to the Lupin boy.

"Oooh, good luck!" Marlene bid. Frank arrived where the girls were as Mary was leaving, and he gave his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek.

"She's gone to ask Remus to Hogsmeade!" Alice alerted.

"What? Really!" he responded quickly. The Waite girl nodded.

"She fancies him," added Lily.

"Who would've known! That's great!" Frank chuckled, smiling.

Dorcas reappeared shortly thereafter and merged with her dorm mates.

"Alex asked me to Hogsmeade for a date," the Chaser uttered, looking like it was hard to accept.

"_No_!" Marlene remarked, gawking. Lily and Alice wore identical shocked expressions on their faces as they all stared at Dorcas.

"He said he wanted to ask me last month but it didn't work out! He said I'm a great Quidditch player and that he's wanted to know me better for awhile now." Dorcas told them, still appearing in disbelief.

"Well, what'd you say?" Alice demanded urgently.

"I… I agreed."

Marlene made a happy noise that resembled a squeal as Lily, Alice and even Frank grinned widely.

"This is brilliant!" the blonde noted excitedly.

"Oooh, Dorcas! It's about time you let yourself—or let a boy—take fancy to you! You're a great witch!" the McKinnon girl stated.

"Are you looking forward to it?" Lily inquired.

"I reckon!... I mean, Farrell's cool. We'll see how that goes." Dorcas answered, peering at the carpet. She shook her head as if attempting to rid her brain of something then looked at her friends with half a smile.

"So where's Mary?"

The Macdonald girl walked up to Remus and noticed that he and his roommates were conversing with some of the fifth year boys, laughing. She ran a hand over her hair and then tapped his back; the prefect turned around.

"Hiya, Mary," he greeted.

"Hi," she smiled, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Of course."

The two moved back a couple feet without being noticed by the other wizards.

"I hope I won't get interrupted this time by an explosion!" Mary joked. Remus laughed once.

"I don't know—Sirius _is_ close by," he noted.

"Well, I have a question to ask…"

"Okay."

"Um… well, I was wondering if you'd want to go to Hogsmeade together on Saturday," Mary began, "We get on well and have a lot of the same interests, s-so there are things to talk about!"

"Oh—Mary! That… that would be great!," responded Remus, looking stunned and uncomfortable, "You'd be wicked to go with, a-and I'd be happy to! But, I'm sorry—I've already told Abigail Holland I'd go with her!"

"_Oh_. So… so you're going with her, then."

"Yes… I'm sorry! I asked her on Monday."

"No, it's all right Remus; I understand," she said, feeling dumb and wanting to go find the Huffelpuff witch in order to hex her.

"Maybe the next trip will—" he commenced.

"Yeah. Well I'll see you Remus." Mary cut in. She then turned around and hurried back to her friends, feeling notably frustrated. She was too late!

"Holland _did_ get to him first." Mary dully revealed when she arrived. Marlene inhaled sharply.

"Oh no!" Alice uttered.

"Chin up, Mary." Lily consoled, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You were right, Dorcas," sighed Mary. The Meadowes girl frowned for a moment and then commented:

"No worries—we'll make sure to lock her in a closet on the sixth floor for the rest of term!" Dorcas assured.

"Ha ha… promise?"

Mary's dorm mates knew not was not the right time to tell her about the unexpectedness of Alex asking Dorcas for a date.

It was another unsuccessful Apparition lesson that Saturday morning and a frustrated Ravenclaw asked Raines if someone should have Apparated by now. The instructor answered that it was only March and normal that no sixth year had conquered the feat.

"There have been quite a few Splinchings, however, and that means we're onto something!" he announced.

"I can't believe Pete's still been in one piece!" Sirius quipped. The Pettigrew boy frowned.

"I'll just use a broom the rest of my life at this rate." James exhaled.

When it was time for the village trip later that afternoon, James, Remus, Marlene and Dorcas all left with their dates. Lily, Mary, Alice and Frank went as a quartet, with a sullen Mary, while Peter chose to not attend this visit and stayed behind with Sirius. He had been shocked to learn Dorcas was going with Alex Farrell and it definitely did not sit well with him, so he spent his time lamenting about it to his friend. Sirius, who was simply glad to have company, listened to and sympathized with Peter.

"What if he wants her to be his girlfriend?"

"This is why you just have to impress her whenever you get the chance. Or ask her out first," the Black boy said. Peter looked appalled at the suggestion.

James told Michelle about his Hogsmeade birthday idea while the two walked around the small town and she thought it sounded like "a really fun" idea. The blonde inquired if it was only going to be the Marauders and he cautiously replied that he was inviting a handful of other Gryffindors, worrying she might mention or object to Dorcas. Michelle, however, said nothing about the other witch….

With the mention of his ever nearing birthday, James recalled that he had to tell the rest of his House's year about the event and convince them to consent. The captain decided to propose the idea the next day after dinner, and asked Dorcas to get all of her roommates to go to the mirror on the fourth floor at 9:15 that night.

"Make sure you all come," he alerted.

"If this is a trick or trap, James…" she initiated.

"Why would I do that? You girls aren't Slytherin!" James half laughed.

"Just saying." Dorcas smirked.

The Marauders and Frank arrived at the said meeting place ten minutes before they expected the witches to show up, and they had not been waiting more than three minutes before Filch appeared sans Mrs. Norris.

"What're you vagabonds up to? No loitering!" the caretaker barked, glaring at them.

"It's not curfew yet! We've got an hour." Sirius challenged.

"And we're with a prefect." James pointed out.

"Much good he is!" Filch grumbled. Remus looked offended as Peter and Frank snickered.

"We're doing nothing _wrong_, Mr. Filch," the Lupin boy affirmed.

"I'll be back at 10:01, and you Gryffindors had better be gone." The squib them ambled off with the boys watching him.

"Gotta love 'im." Sirius stated.

The Gryffindor witches spoke about Dorcas' date the previous day while they walked to meet the boys and she told them it had been enjoyable. Quidditch had dominated a lot of their talks but she remarked he was funny and intelligent as well.

"He's in Ravenclaw, obviously," the Meadowes girl commented, "I've just never thought of Alex in that way, or dreamed he was interested in me."

"He'd be a great first boyfriend!" Marlene uttered.

"Way to jump the broom, McKinnon! Not after one day."

"I'm sorry! I'm just happy for you!" the pureblood claimed while Lily and Alice laughed.

"Oh, there are the boys." Mary vocalized, pointing.

"Well, let's see what this is about and why it involves us." Lily said.

"I'm intrigued!" noted Alice.

"It involves trouble, I know it," the Macdonald girl chuckled.

"All hail the beautiful sirens of the righteous Gryffindor House!" Sirius declared as the females joined the males. Frank embraced his girlfriend with a hug.

"What's this all about Mr. Black?" Marlene inquired.

"This was all James' doing—he's the one to question!"

"Are you trying to recruit us in your next prank?" Alice asked, holding onto Frank.

"The Marauders need no help." James alerted.

"Sure…" Dorcas smirked with crossed arms.

"No, no! I asked you five to meet us here because I have a brilliant idea to share with you."

"What is it, Potter?" Mary wondered.

"It's about my!—" James began.

"And my," added Remus.

"Birthday!"

"Of course," smiled Dorcas, as did her dorm mates.

"It's on Thursday but I—_we_—want you lot to celebrate with us on Saturday," the captain remarked.

"What do you want to do?" Lily pondered. The wizards all looked at each other and then the Potter boy answered, grinning:

"A night trip to Hogsmeade."

There was silence as the girls all mentally digested the statement, faces displaying different emotions.

"A night trip to Hogsmeade…" Mary repeated slowly.

"Correct!" James acknowledged; his best friend nodded supportively.

"And you want us to all come." Alice said, peering at Frank. He smiled lightly in return.

"Of course," responded Sirius.

"And your idea is, clearly, against school rules." Mary observed.

"I mean if you want to scrutinize things, I suppose it is!"

"Okay, so we'd be going without permission. Tiny question—how do you plan for us to get there?," Lily sweetly asked, as if nothing was absolutely questionable about the idea, "I wonder how'd we look leaving the castle's gates while it's dark." Dorcas was grinning largely.

"That is the _least_ of our concerns, Lily! Trust me—not even an issue!" James assured.

"That's for sure!" Peter chimed in. Remus let a small smile loose.

"Are you going to tell us how, then?" Marlene asked.

"For security reasons, no—not now." James revealed.

"It's too great of a risk at the moment," concurred Sirius.

"Oh hell… that's a great sign." Mary commented. Dorcas laughed.

"So even getting there is a suspicious bargain." Lily mentioned.

"Suspicious but secure! Tell 'em Moony." Peter said.

"It!," Remus started, appearing caught, "It is. We've done it before loads of times."

"This all seems risky." Alice vocalized.

"Seems that way but it's not." Sirius responded coyly.

"Nothing is risky in your eyes." Marlene smiled.

"All right—look!," James commenced, speaking over the banter with a grin, "Remus and I just want to have a good time for our birthdays and we thought you girls would like to join us. That's all."

"Sounds like it'll wicked, to me." Frank offered after a brief period of silence.

"Just think on it the next few days." Sirius told them.

"I'm for it." Dorcas alerted, putting a finger up.

"You always are, love!"

"That's why you're the best," added James. His teammate smiled.

"You know what? It does sound promising." Mary remarked, looking at Remus.

"Yeah, a Gryffindor night out." Alice stated.

"Wonderful." James smirked happily.

"Well, maybe we should get back to the tower before Filch comes back with Professor McGonagall, having told a lie," the Lupin boy advised.

"Their idea of celebrating does always include a chance for punishment." Lily pointed out as the girls departed first with Frank in tow; Marlene giggled.

"I like how you didn't mention the alcohol part or the fact that you invited Michelle." Sirius mentioned.

"Didn't want to risk them not going, or starting a riot," his best friend replied.

The full moon for March was on Tuesday, so on Monday night disappeared from the student body in order to engage in solitude in the infirmary. While the Marauders very excitedly awaited the time they would transform into animals (because all four would be together since December), Lily had a dilemma to deal with that had never presented itself before.

"Should I get James a gift?" the red head wondered as the witches were in their room on Tuesday.

"Why do you sound anxious?" Marlene questioned, a half smile on her lips.

"Because I am! I've never _once_ given him anything since we were eleven—"

"Except a good jinx," quipped Mary. The prefect had to smile at that.

"And he's given me things even when I thought he was a toerag! This is the first year we've got on—" Lily continued.

"And decided to be friends." Alice added.

"Well, yeah!... and I suppose I feel like I owe him something. Especially because the gift he gave me this year was just incredible."

"What're you thinking of?" wondered Mary.

"That's the problem—I have no bloody idea! Dorcas, what type of things do _you_ get James?" Lily posited.

Dorcas, who was standing up and folding clothes in her dresser, gave an odd expression as her four friends peered at her.

"Er!... I dunno!," the Chaser started, appearing slightly bemused, "Things James likes."

"I've never thought to bother myself with his interests before now, so I don't know what they are! Apart from Quidditch," the Evans girl revealed. Alice suppressed a giggle.

"That always makes him happy, and gifts from Zonko's," Dorcas mentioned, bundling a pair of socks, "But I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that you and James get along! It's a bit mental…"

"He likes food. Make him something?" suggested Marlene.

"Or just ask his mates what they reckon he'd like." Mary attested.

"Of course." Lily noted, giving a small smile.

"Whatever you get James, it'll have to be delivered quickly; his birthday is days away." Alice told her.

"Right."

That night in the common room Lily saw Amy Dunesfield speaking with one of her roommates while holding a Quidditch supply catalogue. The Muggleborn asked her fellow prefect if she could rifle through it and Amy readily consented. The sixth year wizards, meanwhile, were eager for 8:45 to come so they could leave the castle and begin their monthly adventure; Sirius was particularly raring to go and decided he would ensure they had a great night. Peter, James, and Sirius exited the portrait hole fairly unnoticed at a quarter to nine, with the Cloak hidden in a bag, as Lily thought she had found a decent present for the Potter boy. She would, however, have to go to someone for help that she was wary of approaching….

* * *

A/N: So I'm predicting chapter 31 is going to be rather lengthy…


	31. Prospects of the Night

A/N: I don't really have much to say. Lol. Enjoy.

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 31**

The night went very well for the four animals. They were noticeably playful and energized but none was more animated than the black dog. All of the Marauders (minus Remus) were present and on time for their first class of the day the following morning, and while they appeared a tad groggy they were actually content. James spent much of that Wednesday giddily reminding people his 17th birthday was the subsequent day while Lily had to handle securing his gift, and went to quickly speak to Paul Tanlind after lunch. It was known in the Gryffindor House that Paul was very successful and crafty at obtaining items students wanted, and swiftly.

"Paul—I need a favor," she commenced, catching him when he was only with the seventh year prefect, Sam Hatfield.

"Anything for you, Lily," he grinned.

"I wanted to order something. I saw it in a Quidditch catalogue."

"All right. What is it?" The Muggleborn handed him the piece of parchment on which she had written all of the information.

"Can you get it here by Saturday?" Lily wondered.

"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem," Paul said, looking it over, "What does 'JP' stand for?"

"It's not for me. For a friend."

"Well, sure Lily—I'll take care of it."

"Thanks Paul," she half smiled. Lily then waved to Sam and hurried off before Paul could potentially say anything romantic about the two of them.

"I still say Ed didn't know what he had with her," the Tanlind boy noted.

"But you do, right?" Sam smirked.

"All I need is a chance!"

Remus returned to Hogwarts life that evening as a human and had to attend a prefects' meeting an hour later at eight o'clock. Lily was glad to see him although Rosier was not, and Marcus spent the hour purposefully ensuring that he did not even breathe in the Evans girl's direction. Lily told Remus about the present she was planning to get James as the pair walked back to their tower and he was pleasantly surprised, recognizing she had never gotten his friend anything since knowing him. The Lupin boy, meanwhile, vocalized that while he and Peter had gotten James a gift, it was difficult giving to "a bloke who has everything".

"James wants for nothing—his parents make sure of that," he revealed.

"Yeah, it seems that way," she agreed.

"And the funny thing is, maybe because of that, he's one of the most generous wizards I know."

When the two prefects returned to their common room Remus was instantly drawn to his roommates, and they relocated to their room where they could discuss the previous night. The succeeding day was the Potter boy's birthday and, like Sirius had been, he was awakened that morning to noise, although it was not shouting. A small bang resounded throughout the room and James was littered in bright confetti, which effectively woke up all five young men.

"Where'd that come from?" Franked asked hoarsely as they looked towards the birthday boy.

"That letter?" Peter pondered, rubbing his face. There was a piece of parchment floating near James' face and he grabbed it with a small grin, using his other hand to scratch his head.

"It's from Mum and Dad," he alerted, before reading it out loud.

_Our Dear James-_

_ Happy birthday to you, son! It's so hard to believe that you're an adult now, and we couldn't be any prouder of you. From the moment you were born we knew you would grow to be a wonderful wizard, but we did not know just how wonderful. We love you immensely and hope you enjoy your day; we wish we could spend it with you. We cannot wait until you, and Sirius, come home for the summer holiday. It's too quiet without you and Stranger needs someone to run around with!_

_Love always and forever,_

_Mum & Dad_

"That nearly brought a tear to my eye!" Sirius noted, wiping at his face.

"Nice way to wake up!" James smiled, putting the letter on his nightstand.

"Well, happy birthday Prongs!" Remus hailed, grinning.

"Three cheers for Mr. Potter!" the Black boy added.

"Yes, happy birthday James!" Peter commented happily.

"Thanks mates," the captain responded. Consequently, in the following instance, James had four pillows hurled at his upper body and all made contact.

"Oy!" he yelled, laughing a bit.

"Time to see what your gifts are!" Frank stated.

"Of course—presents!" James threw the pillows aside and moved to the foot of his bed, throwing on his glasses. Sirius used his wand to open his friend's drapes all the way so they could see better. Mr. and Mrs. Potter sent their son his new coming of age watch as well as a trip to Italy come the summer; this made him nothing short of ecstatic. James had been to Austria and France before with his parents but had vigorously wanted to visit Italy since he was thirteen, and now he had the opportunity.

"You are so bloody lucky!" Peter groaned.

"Italy—Merlin! How wicked," said Frank.

"If he acts nicely I _may_ go with him." Sirius joked.

The Potter boy continued opening his gifts and received a large box of Mrs. Longbottom's peanut butter cookies from Frank, for which he had a particular affinity and refused to share with anyone. As for the Marauders, Peter and Remus gave James two sterling silver book ends that were majestic stags (which delighted him), and Sirius bestowed his best friend with a miniature tapestry of all of the detentions the two had earned since first year (which made James laugh)**.** He also had gifts from Dorcas, Marlene & Alice, his teammates, Michelle, and a few other Gryffindors. The sixth year wizards then got up to prepare to go down to breakfast, with James being very excited to be 17 and expecting to have an excellent day.

The fact that the lion Quidditch team had practice that night surprised nearly all of its members albeit Dorcas, whom pointed out that James was "obsessed with" the sport.

"It's his life; this _is_ a gift for him!" she half laughed.

Knowing this, the players did not complain and performed exceptionally well. When the seven Gryffindors returned to their common room they saw a couple of gold and scarlet balloons and the entire sixth year in a corner of the room, six of them already aware that this had been planned, and Sirius was holding a cake that resembled a Quaffle.

"Good stuff!" James uttered, grinning broadly and peering around at the group.

"For a great captain on his birthday!" Amy announced. Mitchell and Rodrigo nodded while Elizabeth smiled bashfully at Sirius.

"Yay James!" Dorcas added.

"Okay, we've had all day to recognize him. Let's cut the cake!" Kirby commented. There were laughs.

As Thursday melted into Friday a new problem surfaced in regard to the impending Hogsmeade visit the following night. (James had spent the end of his birthday with Michelle, half of which had been enjoyable before he let it slip that Dorcas was going to the village too). The boys had initially deduced that they would merely use the passage to get to Hogsmeade but that idea was no longer alluring to them for numerous reasons.

"We'll knock them all out," Sirius proposed Friday night after dinner, pacing, "Then we'll wake them up when we've transported them there."

"Yeah, Garroting Gas!" Peter confirmed.

"Really?" Remus asked incredulously.

"Yes." Sirius said.

"Wait—they might be right pissed at us…" Peter realized.

"Exactly. So that's a no," the prefect commented. The four were in the Room of Requirement, which was a smaller version of the lion's common room.

"Okay… so we'll use _obliviate_ when the night's over! Just do a massive casting of the spell." Sirius amended.

"Come on Padfoot!" Remus cried out.

"What! It'd work!"

"We can't use magic on our Housemates!"

"How else are we supposed to make sure it stays a secret?" the Black boy pondered in disbelief.

"So, an Unbreakable Vow is out of the question then?" Peter offered. The prefect groaned in disbelief and muttered:

"Bloody Merlin!"

"Blackmail may be the way." Sirius said, pointing at Peter.

"Don't lose it over there, Moony," James advised, chuckling slightly, "But we do have to figure this out. Even I'm hesitant to just let them know about the passage."

"What else can we do?" wondered Remus.

"What if Macdonald is miffed with us in the future and narcs us out to Filch or McGonagall? What then?" Sirius vocalized.

"Mary isn't like that Sirius, despite what you may think."

"Then what about Michelle? Unless she marries James it's no guarantee she'll keep quiet when they break up." Peter mentioned.

"Yep!," Sirius agreed, "I'm still for knocking them out. Just saying."

"You know, Alice was right—this is too risky. Maybe we should just forget the whole thing." Remus stated, looking at them.

"No need to be that extreme because I have a solution," James began, "We'll use a portkey."

"You ruddy genius, you!" the Black boy exclaimed.

"Of course!" uttered Peter.

"Yeah, that'll work," Remus half smiled, "Good one, James. What should we use?"

"Something small enough to be portable but big enough not to lose. I'm sure there's something in our dormitory," the Potter boy responded.

"Tomorrow night is going to be grand!" Sirius claimed, smirking.

"If we get expelled, it'd better be worth it." Remus replied.

The usual Apparition lesson was at 9AM the succeeding morning and two more sixth years Splinched themselves, leaving behind a foot and an ear. Raines was excited because, to him, this meant notable progress but no one was eager to be the next to display "progress". The members of the Slug Club received notifications that there was an upcoming meeting on Monday night at eight o'clock, and the students were starting to think about Quidditch games more. (The next match pitted Slytherin against Ravenclaw and was scheduled for Thursday). With their morning, weekly obligation out of the way the Marauders had that night to plan for. Peter found two old Sneakoscopes that no longer worked to serve as their portkeys and Sirius wrote a letter to Madam Rosmerta about their imminent visit, using a school owl to deliver it. His friends had not read the actual content of the message so they did not know what he had chosen to tell her, but they all decided some forewarning would be wise. James also mentioned having "look outs" since they expected to be out past curfew and his best friend suggested enlisting the help of Rodrigo and his dorm mate, Spencer Toft.

"The fifth years are a good choice," the Potter boy nodded, "They'd never narc, and we can pay them a couple Galleons."

"And they don't need to know where we'll be, just that we'll be… occupied, past curfew." Remus remarked.

"Of course Moony," appeased Sirius.

The quartet decided 9PM would be a good time to go to the village and everyone would meet in a room on the fifth floor, though not all at once (in order to deflect attention). James, however, had to speak with Michelle about the situation since it had not been resolved the previous night. When the blonde had discovered Dorcas was going a 20 minute argument ensued before she went back to her tower, claiming she thought the "Meadowes issue had ended!". James was peeved about the problem that he now had to contend with but was much more weary—he did _not_ want to go back in the middle of the Dorcas/Michelle battle! It was terribly uncomfortable and he did not think he had the stamina to handle it, or the personality. He was not fond of drama.

James asked his girlfriend to go outside with him after lunch and she consented, following him to a short distance away from the castle's steps.

"Michelle, I don't know what to say to please you," he commenced, exhaling, "I want you to come tonight—I do—but… you'd have to expect that Dorcas would come too. She's a good friend of mine! And I spoke to her like you wanted me to, so there shouldn't be any kind of conflict on her part. I know she's not your favorite person but I thought we—"

"James, stop—" the Parks girl interrupted, briefly shutting her eyes, "I… you're right. I should've expected it. I want to be there as well and you _have _talked to her, so I should assume it'll be okay."

"So you'll come?" he posited, feeling mild, irritated relief.

"Yes. Sorry for the bickering."

"I'm glad," James half smiled, "I'll come to your common room at a quarter to nine. No worries Michelle—tonight'll be wicked."

Paul had the item Lily requested that day as promised and gave it to her in the late afternoon.

"Thanks Paul! I appreciate it," she said, accepting the rectangular parcel. Mary and Marlene, who were with her, looked at it.

"You're quite welcome, Lily," the seventh year answered.

"Now I know why so many Gryffindors go to you!" The red head held out two Galleons for him, the normal rate he charged for his services (on top of the cost of whatever was ordered).

"No charge for you, Lily; you're special." Paul attested, winking. He then took his leave.

"I'll take the money," offered Mary. Marlene giggled as Lily smirked at her.

"He's still trying, I see," the pureblood noted.

"Yes…" Lily replied.

"So what's that?" Mary questioned.

"A late birthday gift for James."

"So you got him one!" Marlene smiled brightly.

"Yeah. I felt it was right. I hope he likes it, or needs it," the prefect remarked.

"What is it?" the Macdonald girl asked.

"I can't ruin the surprise!"

"Oh, don't even pull that Evans!"

"It's nothing big, just know that," grinned Lily, "Kind of stupid, actually."

"I doubt James would think anything from you is stupid!" Marlene uttered.

By 8:45 that night everything was set for the sixth years' illicit trip to Hogsmeade. Three of the fifth year males had been paid to serve as allies in case the need for alibis arose, James went to meet his girlfriend, and the remaining nine inconspicuously traveled to the school's fifth floor from different areas and at different times. Remus was somewhat on edge at the prospect of the event actually coming to pass and even Lily was a bit worried; the two were Gryffindor prefects, after all. At 8:55 Alice and Frank entered the chosen room for the transfer and closed the door, the last individuals to arrive. The Marauders still had not told their guests how they were getting to the village.

When James and Michelle had gotten to the room Sirius, Remus, Dorcas, Lily and Mary were already present. The Quidditch captain instantly noticed the girls' appearances because something stood out for all three; Mary's normally curly hair was straightened once more, for example. Dorcas was wearing cut off jeans and a white T-shirt with the phrase "The Silent Rebels" as well as white earrings. James did not know who or what these Rebels were, but the ornaments on her ears was a feminine adornment he did not typically see on his teammate. What the Potter boy observed about Lily was her green, buttoned down sweater. It stopped right above her knees and matched her black leggings & black flats she wore, but he associated it with how well it matched her eyes.

"Perfect. We're all here." Sirius grinned devilishly with crossed arms.

"So, how is this going to work gentlemen?" pondered Frank.

"Wormtail, if you will!" James announced. Peter eagerly reached into the pack they had brought with them (that included the mirrors and cloak, just in case) and scooped out the two portkeys, holding them out.

"Sneakoscopes?" Mary uttered, confused.

"Portkeys," Sirius corrected. A wave of comprehension washed over the others.

"Nice," Dorcas smiled widely.

"That must've called for a lot of magic!" awed Alice. She looked nice in her outfit as well: a navy blue dress with white polka dots and white tights.

"It did take time," confirmed Remus.

"Where will they take us?" Marlene wondered.

"Right outside the town!" Peter responded.

"You girls will take one and we'll have one," James alerted, "We should have two people be the designated carriers just to make things easier."

"And responsible people, so that excludes Sirius," the Lupin boy stated. This caused everyone to laugh, including the Black boy.

"The prefects." Dorcas shrugged.

"Remus and Lily need a night off! I say Alice and Frank." Sirius vocalized.

"Agreed!" added James.

"Sure," Frank consented, smiling.

"I think it's time we depart. Any questions before we leave?" Sirius inquired, peering around. He was met with grins and smirks.

"Let's get going!" Mary said.

"Remember—tonight _never_ happened if you're questioned." James remarked as Peter gave Dorcas the other Sneakoscope with a smile.

"Is Michelle going with us?" Marlene posited, referring to the witches as everyone got into their respective circles.

"Er, no. With us." The captain wanted to avoid any girlfriend/teammate clash.

"When will they transport us?" Lily asked.

"Once everyone is touching it, though really it only has to be more than three hands," James declared. He then grinned, "See you girls there!"

* * *

The destination of choice was the Three Broomsticks, of course. The sixth years arrived to Hogsmeade without difficulty and immediately began the ten minute walk to the pub, excited about the prospect of the night.

"How about a change of venue? The Hog's Head, anyone?" Dorcas quipped. Her Housemates laughed but Michelle had a look of irritation that the Meadowes girl did not see.

"Hey." Sirius muttered, walking on James' right side. He looked covertly back at Remus, whom was with Mary, Alice and Frank, then revealed a vile of bright yellow liquid that was housed in his jacket pocket. (Sirius wore a gray polo, black jeans and a jacket, and looked good as always).

"Bloody fantastic!" grinned James. His hands were in his checkered, brown hoodie's pockets, which he wore over a white T-shirt; like many of the others he also adorned jeans in addition to brown loafers.

"What's that?" Michelle pondered on her boyfriend's left side. Her arm was linked in his and she looked comfortable in her purple, long sleeved cardigan.

"Nothing, love! At least nothing interesting." Sirius told her, hiding it once more.

"Hmph. I highly doubt it but I won't say anything else."

James and Sirius smiled at the same time.

"So can you make it through this evening?" Lily inquired, speaking to Dorcas. They were walking with Peter and Marlene.

"Don't have a choice _but_ to," the Chaser replied, "But I have permission to completely ignore her so I don't see a problem!"

"Ooh… is this about Michelle?" Peter wondered, realizing what they were discussing.

"Yep," said Marlene.

"Yeah. James wishes it didn't have to be like this."

"How do you feel about the situation, Pete? Do you think I'm absolutely awful to dear Michelle?" Dorcas asked.

"N-No!," he answered, appearing surprised (perhaps at being asked his opinion), "You're never awful to anyone! You're… brilliant!"

"That's sweet," she half smiled.

The small town was lively this night and had many wizards both strolling the streets and occupying the businesses. A live band jovially played music while multiple people laughed and smiled, and stores had their doors open; the students had never truly seen Hogsmeade like this and hoped they would not be identified as Hogwarts students.

"This is what it's like when we leave on Saturdays?" Remus questioned, peering around.

"I like it!" Alice noted as her boyfriend grinned.

"We picked a good night!" Sirius added.

"It'll definitely increase our chances of going unnoticed." Mary offered, smiling a bit.

When they arrived to the pub it was evident the establishment was busy and full, like the rest of the village. Lily briefly considered giving James his present as they filed inside but Michelle was right by his side, and she envisioned potential awkwardness with the exchange so decided to wait. The sixth years attracted some stares once inside but James and Sirius instantly searched for Rosmerta—they wanted to be placed in a spot to be less obvious. Consequently, the matron found the eleven first and approached them from the left, hands on her hips.

"You lot—come with me." Rosmerta ordered with pursed lips. She beckoned them with a finger and then walked in the direction she had come. The teenagers gave one another nervous glances but followed her regardless.

Madam Rosmerta led the group to a round table large enough for them all to fit in the back of the right side of the building. The back exit was not very far from them and two other groups of drinking wizards surrounded them. The matron pointed to the table.

"Sit," she demanded. The sixth years obeyed once again, still uncertain of what she intended to do as they pulled out chairs. Professor Dumbledore himself could come barging through the back door to reprimand them at any moment for all they knew, and tentative hope was still there.

Rosmerta put her fingers to her mouth to let out a loud whistle that shocked them, but shortly thereafter a house elf with a tray in its right hand came hurrying into view. It was clearly a female and wore an apron that was similar to the matron's.

"This is Daisy," Rosmerta announced in a stern voice as the elf went around and gave each teenager a menu with a smile. They accept them, stunned, "Thank you sweetie." Her voice had become its usual, kind tone as she spoke to her helper.

"Welcome, Miss Rose!" Daisy commented, finishing with Marlene and ambling away.

"Look," Rosmerta commenced, sounding strict again, "I don't know how you got here and I'm not going to ask. I'm not going to be serving you tonight, since you shouldn't be here in the first place, so Daisy will. She's very competent and attentive so there should be no need for me; I'll have enough to do with the other customers."

The teenagers' fears were quelled—they had succeeded. They looked at one another with happy smiles and grins.

"You know not to cause trouble or do anything I'd have to report to Minerva McGonagall," she continued, peering at them, "I also know that not all of you are 17, so don't try to pull anything when ordering drinks! Behave yourselves."

The matron then left the group to itself but not before claiming the sole reason they were allowed to stay was because of Remus' and James' birthday.

"We love you too, Rosie!" Sirius revealed.

"She put us back here for a reason." Frank smirked.

"Well it works great for our favor!" James responded.

"Should we start with a round of butterbeers?" Peter wondered, smiling some.

"Of course!"

"Yeah, they'll be perfect for a birthday toast." Lily mentioned.

"And after that, the fun begins!" Sirius remarked with a mischievous grin. Peter snorted.

"For you, maybe. But you heard Rosmerta—she knows who's not 17," he relayed.

"Didn't I tell you not to worry about that? We all will be covered!"

The witches gave confused looks while James tried to hide his amused smile.

"So! Who are the Silent Rebels, Dorcas?" Remus asked, changing the subject stealthily. The Chaser looked down at her shirt.

"A band I like," she notified.

"A Muggle band." Michelle vocalized at the same time. Surprised silence hit the teenagers as they gawked between the two girls, but the attention ultimately settled on Michelle.

"How'd you know that?" the Potter boy posited, starting at the Ravenclaw.

"My cousin is Muggleborn… she loves them," Michelle commented, "The band is actually pretty good."

"Yeah, they're wicked…" Dorcas affirmed, looking at the Parks girl curiously.

"Well that's cool!" Marlene smiled. James glanced at Sirius with hope as Daisy approached the table once more—maybe the night would go smoother than expected!

Eleven butterbeers were ordered to start them off and they toasted to the birthday wizards as suggested. Once the liquid had warmed them up and began to make them feel more agreeable, two pitchers of (more) butterbeer and three alcoholic beverages were requested; James and Sirius were consuming them and the latter had gotten one for Remus. The Lupin boy consented but announced it would be the only one he drank for the night, while Sirius mumbled "yeah right" to James.

"Why don't you go help Daisy with the tray, Padfoot?" the captain advised, leaning back in his chair.

"It's not that much—I'm sure she'll be fine. Besides, I don't trust Sirius; I think he's hiding something." Remus replied, smiling. The sixth years laughed.

"Good call," Mary stated.

"Brutal, Moony!," Sirius smirked, standing up, "I'm going to the loo. Make sure Pettigrew doesn't touch my drink, Marlene." The McKinnon girl giggled as the Black boy gave his best friend a discrete wink; James grinned, knowing the Euphoria Elixir would find its way into Remus' drink before it arrived at the table.

Sirius returned from the "bathroom" before the beverages made it to the table, and shortly thereafter Daisy trounced over with the tray.

"Here's you are!" she announced as James helped transfer the drinks.

"Thank you Daisy!" Alice acknowledged. The elf smiled broadly and nodded.

"Well, go on you three—try them!" Peter urged as he took a glass for the butterbeer, sitting on Remus' right. (Frank was on his left side).

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Sirius responded, picking up his demon's pleasure. James had ordered the same drink and he grabbed his as well, then both boys peered at Remus expectantly. The prefect had gotten a dragon tail and he glanced at it grimly before raising his glass; all three took large gulps simultaneously.

"How is it?" Michelle inquired on James' right.

"A pleasure," he answered, getting accustomed to the taste.

"A strong pleasure!" Sirius added.

"Mine's not that bad," Remus revealed, "Goes down smoothly." The Black boy had to hide his smirk.

"Oy!," Lily commenced, looking at her butterbeer strangely, "This butterbeer isn't normal!"

"What do you mean?" Marlene asked.

"It doesn't taste the same…"

"She's right." Frank noted, having drank some of his own.

"Mine's okay." Mary alerted.

"All me to explain!," Sirius interrupted, leaning in, "One pitcher is regular butterbeer and the other is… fun butterbeer! Mary, I reckon yours is normal."

"Wait—you _put_ something in the pitcher?" Dorcas pondered, sounding shocked. Nearly everyone gaped at him.

"It's just a little firewhiskey," he shrugged, leaning back.

"How did you manage that!" Peter wondered.

"Always with the questions!," James grinned, "Look, one pitcher is there for whoever wants to be a bit more liberal tonight, that's all! Lily, Frank—you don't _have_ to drink it."

The Longbottom boy peered at his roommates then his girlfriend before stating:

"I want mine…"

"Good mate!" uttered Sirius.

"I want the fun butterbeer." Peter immediately attested.

"Yeah, I need to switch mine." Dorcas commented.

"What about the rest of you girls?" James prompted, having taken another swig and ruffling his hair. There was noise as glasses were toyed with and hands moved about. Lily sipped her original glass of the spiked liquid, seeing no need in abandoning it.

"I'll have one." Alice said, holding up a finger.

"I'll wait." Michelle told the captain, hand in his.

"Marlene?," Sirius posited, turning to his left. She shook her head, smiling, "No? Even Lily and Mary are drinking it!"

"I'll be the odd witch out," she alerted softly.

"Never that," he grinned.

"Prefect Lupin, you have nothing to say about all this?" Mary smirked over the rim of her glass. Remus shrugged casually, a small grin on his countenance. (A good portion of the dragon tail was already gone).

"It's our birthday," he offered.

The "fun" butterbeer was finished quicker than anticipated with most of them consuming it. A second pitcher was ordered to make more the mixture and Lily was the only one who abstained from another glass, joining Marlene; Michelle had her first and Alice took another, claiming this was "the last for sure!". The three 17 year old Marauders requested the same alcoholic beverages once the first one disappeared and the effects of the elixir became evident on Remus—everything amused him and he seemed to never stop smiling. By the time the second pitcher was consumed nearly all eleven appeared to be having a spectacular time. They engaged in hearty, buoyant conversations with each other, were constantly laughing, and were definitely vivacious. When they placed a third order of drink rounds their neighboring tables had taken notice of them and their merriment.

"It's our mates' birthdays!," Sirius relayed, "speaking to the group on their left, "These two, right here!"

"Cheers!" an intoxicated wizard responded, lifting his glass of beer.

"Be good sports and sing happy birthday for them!" Dorcas chided.

"Yeah!" Peter exclaimed as Frank shouted in support.

"Of course!" another man consented. A loud round of the birthday song then began that included both groups and much banging on the tables. The party on the teenagers' right watched in enjoyment and when the show was over everyone clapped, and a pretty brunette witch got up from her seat. Before anyone knew what was happening, she placed a kiss on James' and Remus' cheek, then winked.

"Happy birthday boys!" she remarked. Cat calls and wolf whistles then sounded as more than the two Marauders looked surprised. Michelle appeared somewhat outraged.

"Careful, miss—the one with the glasses is taken!" Alice giggled, pointing at the Ravenclaw.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie—it's all in good fun!" the woman told Michelle as James grinned. The blonde did not look appeased.

"Well the other one's free!" Sirius alerted happily.

"Is that so?," she pondered, turning to Remus, "You know, you seem a bit young but I've got a sister around your age!"

"Does she have a name?" the Lupin boy replied with a grin. This earned laughs and a pat on the shoulder from the woman.

"Does she also give strangers kisses?" Mary uttered. Marlene and Lily, who were on either side of her, glanced at her and smiled.

After the interaction with the surrounding tables the sixth years went back to talking avidly amongst themselves, and eventually broke into smaller circles within the eleven. Frank and Alice engaged with Remus and Peter while Lily, Marlene & Mary spoke with each other; Dorcas interacted with Peter and Remus occasionally but chiefly talked to Sirius and James, while Michelle spoke to Alice in passing but primarily watched her boyfriend and the other two converse. Dorcas joked often and kept a lasting smile on her face, like Remus, and it was evident she was very at ease with these two particular wizards. Everyone seemed to be noticeably animated and enthusiastic albeit Marlene, Lily, and Michelle, and with four orders of drinks placed it was no wonder. It was after 11:30 when things got chaotic for the teenagers.

"Oy—I have to piss." Remus announced, grimacing a bit. Sirius laughed out loud.

"Me too!" said Peter.

"Well then go!" Mary urged. The boys stood up as Alice remarked:

"I should too. Mary, come with me?"

"Ugh. All right."

"Be careful, Alice." Frank advised as the quartet left for the bathrooms.

"What do you expect—a dragon to get her?" grinned Sirius.

"James, I'm ready to go back. Let's get everyone to leave." Michelle quietly told the captain.

"_What_? But we're having a wicked time!" he answered in disbelief.

"We've been here a long time, and it's not _that_ fun."

"You're not having a good time?"

"I haven't been drinking like you lot have!," she notified, "I'm just ready to go."

"I don't know if everyone else is." James replied dubiously.

"They should be. And you can ask."

"Well, what if two or there aren't? I mean, I can ask Michelle but—"

"But what?," the Ravenclaw commented, "It's clear _you_ don't want to leave."

"Why do you want _me_ to bring it up? You're the one who feels this way!" the Potter boy pointed out.

"Well it's your House!"

"What're you two yapping about?" Sirius wondered, observing their private conversation. The two ceased talking.

"Something couple-y." Dorcas quipped.

"Couple-y?" smiled Marlene.

"Yes. It's a word!"

"In what language?" Frank grinned. Lily smiled yet glanced at James and Michelle—they were speaking once again.

"New plan!," Peter claimed suddenly, approaching the table, "There are queues to use the loos—too long! So, we're gonna go find other ones. We'll be back."

"How long is that going to take?" Lily posited.

"Where are the others?" questioned Frank.

"They already left, out the back door! I came back to tell you. It was Remus' idea. We'll come back!" Peter explained.

"Wait!—" But Peter had already turned around and walked away.

"Erm, this doesn't seem like a good idea!" Lily revealed.

"I have to go after Alice," the Longbottom boy mentioned, standing up.

"Such a caring bloke!" Sirius noted.

"Wait, Frank! I don't know—" the red head started, but he too left the table without another word.

"Bye Frank!" Dorcas bid.

"We can't split up! Frank and Alice have the portkeys!" Marlene uttered.

"We're not splitting up—they said they were coming back!" Sirius stated casually.

"So we have to sit here and wait." Lily said, sounding somewhat exasperated.

"Does seem unfair, doesn't it? Well, I for one will not stand for it! I'll be back, just like they will."

"And where are _you_ going? To relieve yourself as well?" the Meadowes girl inquired.

"Nah. I fancy a walk," Sirius shrugged, getting up, "See you lot in a bit."

"A walk?" Lily repeated, shocked.

"Sirius!" Marlene called as he headed for the back door with his hands in his pockets.

"Ha!" Dorcas smiled.

"Is he insane?" Lily asked Marlene.

"No, just tossed!," she responded, appearing concerned, "He can't be alone, Lily! I don't think he's going after the others."

"So—"

"I'll bring him back; I'm sorry!" Marlene told her, pushing her chair in and grimacing. The pureblood then rushed for the back exit after the already gone Black boy.

Lily looked at Dorcas with astonishment written all over her face. Their company had gone from eleven to four in a matter of minutes, and James and Michelle were consumed in their own world. She had a bad feeling all of a sudden…

"Everyone's left," noted Dorcas, clearly finding the situation to be humorous. However, in the next instance realization overtook her countenance, "Bloody hell! Sirius has my wand! The git!"

Earlier in the night the two had placed a bet on which one would finish their third drink before the other, and Sirius, the victor, had demanded Dorcas' wand as his prize. The Chaser shot out of her seat and ran to leave the Three Broomsticks as all of her Housemates had, not looking back; this caused Lily to throw her arms in total disbelief.

"Come _on_!" she vocalized. The prefect turned to the only two people remaining, quickly contemplating if she should tell them she would go round everyone up to make sure no one got lost. Consequently, Michelle acted out before the red head could say a word.

"This is impossible!" she half shouted, abruptly standing up and appearing angry.

"No, you're making it that way!" James answered, seeming just as riled up yet sitting down. Lily felt rooted in her spot suddenly.

"Am I? Fine! I'll leave then, James!" The Ravenclaw began to walk away from the table and her action only seemed to irritate him further.

"I'm _not_ running after you Michelle!" he alerted.

"Have you ever?" the blonde coldly wondered, glaring at him. She continued on her way and was soon out of the pub.

Lily glanced nervously at James, wide eyed. He looked furious.

"But wheres is everyone?" Daisy squeaked, appearing at the table at that moment and peering around confused.

"Oh, they all… will be back!" the Evans girl relayed.

"Can I get firewhiskey? Straight firewhiskey." James interjected, edge to his voice.

"Yes yes!" the elf consented, hurrying off.

Lily opened her mouth to say something to him—to ask if he was all right, to ask what happened, and to ask if he thought Michelle would return or locate the others. However, she closed it when she realized a part of her was trepid and did not want to further upset him. So, Lily sat in silence and felt quite helpless. Daisy delivered James' alcohol quickly and he consumed it in two takes, making a face both times at its taste; he then exhaled angrily and put his head down on the table, closing his eyes. The Muggleborn recognized that she now had no one to speak to until the others returned.

* * *

It registered with Lily that something had gone very wrong 20 minutes later when not one of the missing nine was sitting back at the table with her and James. He had not uttered one word since getting his drink nor moved from the position he was currently in; Lily had a strong inclination that he was, in fact, asleep. Knowing she could not remain silent any longer and had to tell the captain about the severity of the situation, she moved three chairs over to be right next to him.

"James! James, are you awake?" Lily asked, speaking in his left ear. He gave no response so she vigorously shook his shoulder.

"James!" Lily exclaimed. The Potter boy made a strange sound in his throat and wrenched his face up, although his eyes remained closed. The prefect felt relieved.

"I feel weird," he stated.

"That's to be expected—you've been drinking," she alerted.

"Drinking?... who's talking?"

"This is Lily."

"Lily," James repeated, squinting and blinking as he finally opened his eyes.

"Yes. James, we have a problem." Lily reported.

"Where is everyone?" he pondered slowly, seeing the empty chairs.

"I don't know—that's the problem. They should have come back by now!"

"We're in Hogsmeade!"

"Er, yes," she confirmed.

"For me and Moony's birthday," the captain added, smiling briefly. Lily stared at him with growing dread. Oh no… he was _drunk_! This was going to be a major setback!

"James, do you remember things from tonight?" she posited languidly, attempting to assess his level of comprehension.

"Well yeah! We were all here and now we're not! Hey—where is everyone?"

The Muggleborn took a moment to steady herself, which meant experiencing the need to cry, scream, give up and laugh due to acute anxiety. She had to find nine other people on a whim with an intoxicated companion, with no absolute guarantee they would get back to Hogwarts safely or undetected.

* * *

A/N: Ha ha ha! Cliffhanger! I'm sorry readers, but if I had written out the entirety of this chapter, my poor fingers would've died from exhaustion; so, as a compromise, I think I'll post the next chapter in 3 weeks so you guys have it sooner. Smile.


	32. Breaking and Entering

A/N: Are you all ready for this chapter? It came 3 days later than it was supposed to because I took a mini vacation out of town during the weekend and forgot to post it. Oops! Ha ha ha. Side note: I like this chapter a lot because I feel like this is when Lily and James' relationship truly changed (in my fic). Hope you like it as well!

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 32**

Lily closed her eyes for a quick moment, mentally preparing herself for the ordeal she had ahead.

"Padfoot! Wormtail! James yelled, verbally searching for his friends and causing her eyes to shoot open.

"No, they're not here James, remember?" Lily corrected, wanting him to quiet down.

"Oh yeah!"

"Yes. So we have to go find them."

"But we're celebrating!" he insisted, waving around the pub.

"No, we're done. We have to go back to school, James. It's important," she relayed. He looked at his watch but had some trouble keeping his arm still.

"It's past midnight."

"Yes, which is why we need to go back very soon."

"Right!" James said, springing up from his seat suddenly. He stumbled in place for a moment which caused Lily to jump up in case he fell over on her or she had to steady him.

"Can you walk?" the prefect inquired, hands held out in front of her.

" 'Course I can! Just a little dizzy, s'all," he remarked.

"Okay… well the door's over there. Let's go."

"Oy! We have to pay!" He shoved his money bag in her hands and she froze for a moment, not knowing what to do. The red head had not been anticipating that their entire party would disappear; otherwise, they would have discussed payment as a collective group. As it was now, she and James were responsible for the retribution and it was not fair in her mind.

"We… we can't pay for it all, James. We weren't the only ones drinking," she vocalized, peering at him.

"Not we—_me_, Lily. I have money! Who cares! Just put the gold on the table," he answered, waving drunkenly, "Nine hundred Galleons should cover it."

"Er, I reckon that's probably too much! Here—I'll get it."

The witch took the appropriate amount of money from the bag and laid it on the table, then handed it back to him. (She thought it was very kind he had paid for the bill and it was _his_ celebration, intoxicated or not). James was not walking in a straight line but he was managing to walk, and he said goodbye to multiple strangers on the way out the building. Once they were outside Lily's eyes instantly began scanning the roads and sidewalks for the other teenagers as she thought of places they might go.

"Frank and Alice have the portkeys!" James pointed out.

"They do, so we have to find them. Perhaps they went to Merlin's Lair… let's try there first," she said.

"Can we get food there? I'm right hungry!"

"Um, I don't know if we'll have time, James."

"Aren't you hungry?"

"I'm just worried about getting to Hogwarts."

"D'you think Michelle is with everyone?" he pondered.

"Er… I hope so—she should be." Lily answered, glancing at him.

"I wonder why she left as well," the captain commented, scratching his head. The Muggleborn stopped in the middle of her stride and he followed suit, though sloppily.

"Oh, James—don't you remember? You two… you two got in a row, and she walked out…"

He peered at her with a gaping mouth and then gave a drastic gasp.

"We _did_! We argued!" he explained.

"Yeah… I'm sorry," she noted, starting to slowly walk again. James then commenced a drunken, passionate rant about his girlfriend and the issues they were having in their relationship. Lily was shocked but did not interrupt, letting him ramble; she felt slightly invasive but also curious as she listened to his words, wondering if he had revealed these thoughts to anyone else.

The pair arrived at the pub ten minutes after leaving Madam Rosmerta's and it effectively ended the Potter boy's monologue.

"She always wants her way, and I have to be the one to get it! I'm sick of it." James said, stumbling as they approached the entrance. The business was still open and full of customers.

"Careful!" the prefect advised, prepared to steady him with her hands once more.

"Hey, we're here!"

"Yes."

"Cool! I need to use the loo," he attested.

"Okay. You go and I'll see if our Housemates are here. Do you know where it is?" she replied.

"Duh!"

"All right. I'll wait for you by the door. Where will I wait?"

"The door! You just said!" James smiled, as if she were silly.

"Good. Come back," the witch stated while he ambled off. Lily swiftly thought she now knew what it was like caring for a young child before instantly searching for the rest of their party amongst the patrons. When the Quidditch captain returned to the door some minutes later, her hopes of finding their friends in Merlin's Lair had been shattered—she had seen no one.

"Can I get food now?" James asked, having unzipped his hoodie in the bathroom. Lily, conversely, was beginning to feel frantic.

"They're not here James! It'll be 12:30 soon! We can't look for them all night! What if they've left us?" she remarked. The prefect recognized his inebriation would interfere with his ability to realize the gravity of their predicament but she was feeling desperate.

He gazed at her with a furrowed brow but said nothing, and a wizard helping his friend walk passed by them in order to leave.

"Don't look sad, lovey! You're too beautiful!" the drunken one told Lily, winking. The teenagers watched them go but James was glaring.

"Don't you wink at her!" he ordered, pointing a finger. She felt like smiling for a moment before remembering the dilemma.

"Okay," she exhaled, deliberating, "Maybe if we ask people if they've seen—"

"Honeydukes."

"What?"

"Honeydukes. It's the answer!" James mentioned avidly. She stared at him.

"James, I'm sure Honeydukes is closed." Lily explained, wondering what his logic was.

"It doesn't matter! Come on." He then hurried out the door, which completely surprised her, and she chased after him.

"James, stop! We have to find our friends!" she notified.

"We'll be fine!" he assured.

"We're separated; we need them to get back! James, we _can't_ go to Honeydukes!"

The Chaser did not deviate from his path which was apparently to the candy shop and Lily wildly thought about using magic to stop him, but she'd probably have to keep him under the restriction of it until they located the others (which might raise suspicion among the individuals in the village who saw them). The prefect had little choice but to follow her Housemate, although she kept attempting to reason with him through words; by the time they reached his determined location Lily was convinced the night would result in her expulsion.

"Are you happy? It was closed, like I said. And why are we back here?" she uttered, feeling out of breath. (They were at the rear of the building where the cellar was).

"For the cellar!," James revealed, "We have to get in."

"You want to break inside?... you're _that_ hungry?" The red head was still trying to regain all of her breath yet she threw him an incredulous look. He sniggered overtly.

"No! Is gonna take us to Howarts!" he mentioned, slurring a tad. Well, he was apparently drunker than Lily had realized…

"No, it's not. The school is many meters away," she calmly rationalized.

"Not _too_ far away," the Potter boy goofily grinned, "And yeah—it is." She was certainly not in the mood to argue with him.

"How?" Lily questioned wearily.

"My secret."

"James, we _really_ don't have time for this! We have no bloody idea where—"

"Lily! Lily Lily Lil Lil Lil!," James cut in, briefly shutting his eyes, "Don't fret, Lily! Honeydukes is the answer! I'm telling you!"

"But—"

"You gotta trust me! Please—I'm a Marauder; trust me." He vocalized this while holding up his wand hand and swaying as he stood, yet she felt slightly compelled to listen to him. It may have been out of sheer anxiety or to shut him up, but it was there.

"All right," exhaled Lily.

"Brilliant." James smiled, taking out his wand and directing it at the cellar doors.

"Whoa! What're you doing?" she exclaimed, pointing his wand at the ground.

"Magic, hello!"

"No no—I'll do it. You're not… in the right state."

"Kay," he shrugged, "You're loads better at Charms anyway." The red head appeared a bit taken aback at this statement and uttered a gentle "thank you" as she squatted near the doors.

It took Lily a few minutes and more than one complicated spell to unlock the barrier but she managed it, and James kept himself busy by humming out of key. He eagerly entered the cellar first and she followed, but much more cautiously; the small space was filled with boxes upon boxes, some open and some not. It was dark and drafty as well, and although it did not seem like a threatening vicinity Lily was somewhat afraid. For someone who was intoxicated James moved among the boxes with ease and fervor, as though breaking and entering was a common hobby of his.

"Told you!" he said, when they face to face with the opening that would lead them back to the castle (the one the boys were so familiar with). Lily could do nothing but gawk. She could not believe it.

The journey through the passage was not one Lily enjoyed very much. While James endorsed that it would take them to Hogwarts and she had no reason to doubt him, it was still unfamiliar and caused her to feel some uneasiness. It was also notably cold and smelly, and was by no means a quick trip. James mentioned that he felt "weird" twice more during their trek and complained his legs were "knackered out" from all the walking from the night; this resulted in frequent stopping and staggering, which Lily had to correct. When the two eventually emerged on the other side and were met with the familiar smell of Hogwarts' halls, and could see the light from the fire posts on the wall, she wanted to rejoice she was so happy. They were back! After the harrowing events of a night gone wrong, they were back at one something in the morning! Lily even momentarily forgot her incessant concern about the whereabouts of their missing Housemates.

"We're back!" James exuberantly hissed once their feet were on the school's third floor.

"We are! You were right, James!," she agreed, now worrying about his alcohol induced behaviors getting them caught, "Now we have to get to the common room, but quietly."

"Blimey—more _walking_!"

"Yes, but we've nearly made it! We can do it."

"I told you Lily, my legs don't work," he commented, sliding down a wall to the floor, "We're back in the school—I wanna rest here. Or sleep. Sleep is good."

"No James, you can't rest here," she notified, crouching next to him and trying not to panic all over again, "This isn't our tower!"

"So?"

"So someone may find us and we'll be in trouble! It's _well_ past curfew; we can't stay. Filch is probably out, or his cat."

"Filch!," James repeated, scowling. He then exhaled, "Okay, no resting. But I need help."

He slipped his hand into Lily's, which initially caught her off guard, but she understood and pulled at him to help him on his feet.

"Gryffindor tower, okay?" she stated. He grunted in acknowledgment and then put his right arm, the one Lily had pulled, around her shoulders, slumping and thereby transferring body weight. The action surprised the witch yet again but when she peered at his countenance it seemed drained; the effects of the liquor must have been wearing off, or kicking in.

They took off for the sanctity of the lions' dwelling and along the way Lily could not help but notice one or two things about James (apart from praying they were not discovered by higher authority). His body felt warm, for one. She herself normally tended to be on the opposite side of the spectrum and noticed her skin often felt cold, and after being in that tunnel it was definitely true at the moment. He, however, was radiating heat and it was comforting, though she reasoned it was coming from a physiological stand point. The other thing Lily was aware of was that James was heavier than she expected. He was tall and lean so she would not have thought much of it, but he was an athlete so maybe a lot of his mass was muscle…. Perhaps it was because he was drunk and tired and putting more weight on her than he would have if sober, but she found it challenging to guide him (especially on stairs). The Potter boy had stopped talking for the most part—it seemed all of his previous energy had run out. Instead, he relied on Lily and continued to stagger on occasional steps.

The prefect was elated when they approached the portrait hole at last. The pair had gotten back to its dormitory without incident and the night was _finally_ over! Lily could worry about whatever consequences or problems that may have manifested from the nightly events when the sun was up and she had gotten sleep. James was not the only tired one…

"The Fat Lady," he vocalized.

"Yes! It's all done with!" she responded, shifting his arm some.

In the next instance, conversely, James had tripped and went falling for the floor. Lily inhaled sharply and quickly reacted by trying to careen him upward yet again before he took them down; she partially succeeded and the two went sprawling ungracefully into the nearest wall, with James taking the brunt of the hit. With his right arm still on her shoulders and his face extremely close to the left side of her own face, the witch instantly apologized.

"I'm so sorry!" she squeaked, having seen him wince upon impact. Lily made to get them off the wall but James had closed the last, tiny gap in between them and his arm tightened around her. She felt all the air get caught in her throat.

"Lily," he commenced in a lazy yet passionate voice, breathing directly into her ear, "Stay with me tonight… in my bed. Lie with me. I would never _dare_ take advantage of you—ever. I jus' want you to sleep next to me, nothing more. I feel terrible and want you to stay with me. Please."

Lily was speechless, and she listened to him with shut eyes. It seemed that every sensation of hers in those few moments had been magnified triple fold, making her acutely conscious of his very being. She felt his breath in her ear and it made her shiver involuntarily, something she had never experienced before. She felt his body against her own and it seemed as though electricity had traveled directly into her veins and cells. She smelled him with the intimate proximity they were in, and while he was carrying the scent of earth from walking the passage, she could discern a scent that was uniquely James'. Lily did not know _what_ to make of the situation.

"James, I-I can't! It's not… it'd cause so many problems," the red head relayed, looking up at his face with some fear. He nodded at her statement, eyes still closed.

"Let's… let's get inside," Lily murmured. She gave the password to the half asleep Fat Lady and guided the two of them inside the common room.

It was devoid of any inhabitants for which she was thankful, and she soon realized she was going to have to help James up the boys' staircase. Lily had only been in the boys' section of the tower twice since coming to Hogwarts and this was definitely the most nerve wrecking of the visits.

"Too many damn drinks!" James said when they reached the top of the stairs.

"You weren't the only one," she mollified. He shook his head and then mumbled:

"Thank you Lily. Thank you." The prefect did not answer but she felt warmth from his spoken gratitude.

Upon arrival at the sixth years' room, she asked him if he was all right to traverse the few feet to his four poster on his own. He grunted, meaning it to be an affirmative answer, then fumbled with the doorknob for a bit before pushing it open and stumbling inside the darkness. Lily took a minute to lean back against the wall and stare at the door after he disappeared. She could not wrap her head around how the night had ended, how she had essentially taken care of James Potter and assured he returned in one piece. And then there was what he had told her outside of the portrait hole! _Stay with me_… Lily exhaled as she recounted the recent memory in her mind. She still did not know how to process it! The Muggleborn then felt suddenly exhausted and immediately felt sleep calling to her; she moved from the wall in order to go to her own room, rubbing her eyes as she walked. When Lily was on the girls' side of the dormitory and finally pushing in the door of her room, she instantly observed all four of her roommates asleep in their beds. Quelling the initial reacting of wanting to rudely wake every, single one up for ditching her at the pub, she walked to her four poster and decided there would be _much_ to discuss when the sun rose.

* * *

James opened his eyes a little after 1PM that Sunday afternoon and the first thing he noticed was that his head was in horrible pain. It felt like someone had a sharp knife and was repeatedly stabbing him in the dome, taking it out and putting it back in for cruel, extra emphasis. The next thing he realized was that his glasses were on his face and he must have slept with them on; he took them off with a grimace and saw they were slightly bent. James then drowsily looked down at the rest of his body—he was dressed in the clothes from the night before, including his loafers (which were notably dirty). His head continued to throb and he emitted a long, loud groan as he sat up on his bed, which was made.

"So it sounds like you feel like shite too." Sirius remarked in a hoarse voice. James put his glasses back on then peered at his best friend. The Black boy was also in the same clothes, minus his jacket and shoes, and had also fallen asleep on a made bed.

"I feel like a million Galleons, actually," he responded with a tiny smirk.

"Merlin. What the hell went wrong last night?" Sirius wondered, running a hand through his hair.

"Compromised butterbeer." Frank replied, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. They looked to him, unaware he had been awake, and then they heard Peter rustling around on his bed.

"What time is it? Bloody hell…" the Pettigrew boy mumbled, rubbing his face.

"It's past one. Good morning sunshine!" Sirius greeted.

"One? Merlin!"

"All right, I need to know how you lot got here! I was the only one left at the table." James told them.

"Well, how did _you_ get back?" Peter asked, sitting up like the other three. The captain gazed at the carpet, as if trying to remember himself, and then the answer came to him.

"Lily," he notified, sounding a tad surprised at realizing this. They all appeared shocked.

"No!" Sirius vocalized.

"We'll get to that part, but I need to know how we all got split apart." James said.

"I don't remember all of last night; I was properly tossed." Sirius chuckled.

"You all were. I drank too, but I had the least." Frank relayed.

"Then you tell us, Frank." James prompted.

"It was when Remus and Alice had to use the lavatory and Peter and Mary went with them."

"Oh yeah!..." Peter commented. James looked over to Remus' four poster—he was underneath his bedding and had all of the pillows piled on top of his head.

"I remember he was much more outgoing yesterday," smirked Sirius. The captain smiled and told Frank to continue.

"Well I went after them when Peter came back and told us they were going to find a different loo, and I caught them in the front of the Broomsticks. Remus said we should go to Merlin's to use theirs so we went and it was full like everywhere else. It took 20 minutes to get out of there because Mary decided she wanted to sing happy birthday for Remus in front of the entire pub—"

"I remember!" laughed Peter.

"You joined in, Peter," Frank mentioned. Sirius snickered, "Anyway, we started to go back to Rosmerta's after we left but then we ran into Sirius, Marlene, Dorcas and Michelle."

"Michelle?" the Black boy posited, looking confused. James wore the same expression.

"Yeah. You were overly happy to see us, Sirius, and Marlene explained that you felt like going on a walk and she followed so you wouldn't be alone. At some point Dorcas found you two—I guess you had her wand—and our paths just happened to cross."

"What'd Michelle say?" her boyfriend probed.

"Oh. Er… she said she really just wanted to get back to school—said she was out of it, emotionally I reckon, and wasn't fit to stay. Michelle saw Marlene and Sirius and joined them, hoping to find us. She looked upset too, so Alice and I volunteered to go back with her and we gave Marlene the other portkey," the Longbottom boy reported.

"How—" Sirius commenced. But Frank held up his finger so he could finish.

"No one else was ready to leave and you lot suddenly decided you were hungry, so Remus proposed going back to the Broomsticks for food and we left. So, I reckon you six ate and then came back here with Marlene. Michelle told us she'd actually gotten into a row with James when it was just us three—that's why she left."

"Is that so?" the Black boy remarked, peering at his best friend expectantly.

"We did… but I don't remember why. I just know I was angry—remember thinking she was ruining the night." James said. Sirius shook his head in a pitying manner.

"You know, I remember eating! Well, parts of it," Peter nodded, "D'you Padfoot?"

"I ate fish and chips!," he responded, "And I remember asking Marlene to let me hold the portkey but she refused, which made Remus laugh obnoxiously."

"So you lot took the portkey to Hogwarts right after that?" James inquired.

"Guess so."

"Yeah, Dorcas sung a Silent Rebels song when we got in the common room." Peter pointed out.

"Wow," the Potter boy uttered, studying his roommates, "And not _one_ of you ruddy ogres noticed I was missing? Even though you went back to the ruddy pub! No one realized not everyone was present when using the portkeys?" They gawked at him with open mouths and partially amused expressions.

"I figured they would go back for you!" Frank mentioned, glancing at the Marauders.

"Jamesy, we were all tossed!" Sirius half laughed, arms out.

"How can you miss a person?" James retorted.

"But you got back! Lily was there!" Peter noted.

"Yes, the only one I _won't_ get revenge on…"

"How'd you two manage it?" Frank pondered.

"Sorry we took the portkeys," acknowledged Peter, smiling guiltily.

"Well we left the Broomsticks 'cause Lily kept going on about you wankers being gone, so I suppose we went to look for you. I remember we stopped at Merlin's Lair, but… the next thing I remember after that is being in the castle—I was tired and sitting on the floor. I felt like rubbish."

"So you don't remember?" Sirius answered.

"No… damn. I'm going to have to ask her what happened." James alerted, shaking his head.

"I think we should all talk to the girls." Frank attested. Sirius nodded and then commented:

"Feeling this way is not my cup of tea, though, so I'm giving myself a quick fix." He then grabbed his wand.

"Er, I wouldn't do it, Sirius! You still have alcohol in your body," Frank advised, "Better to let Lily or Marlene use magic on us. I could use a charm myself…"

"All right. Well let's get cleaned up and then go find them." James suggested. Fresh contact with water and hygiene products would do them all good.

"What about Remus? Should we wake him?" Peter asked.

"Let 'im get up on his own. The poor bugger was very active last night," Sirius smirked.

The wizards met up with the witches later in the afternoon with Remus in tow, and Frank suggested they all go to the courtyard. Quite a few students were taking advantage of the grounds that Sunday because the weather was pleasant enough; with it now officially being spring, more nice weather was expected to come. Marlene and Lily had already performed sobering charms on their three roommates so when the boys asked for the favor they obliged, amused. Discussions, smiles, accusations, questions and laughs centered on the previous night then began, and Lily found that she could not stop looking at James. Now that he was sober she was curious to know what he recalled and if he might bring up his request outside the portrait hole. Conversely, he was also keen on speaking to Lily and pulled away from the others after about five minutes.

"Hey," he greeted, grinning quickly and looking back over his shoulder.

"Hi," she replied, smiling some.

"So… last night."

"Yes."

"Definitely didn't mean for you to be the babysitter of a pissed drunk me!" James said, joking.

"Neither did I." Lily stated, laughing a bit. He grinned.

"Thank you for helping me out, Lily. If it hadn't been for you I may not have gotten back!"

"It really wasn't a problem James. You were actually quite coherent! In fact, you're the one who got us back."

"I did? How?" the captain questioned, surprised.

"Well, after you used the loo at Merlin's Lair I started to get really worried about finding the others. You kept mentioning Honeydukes then ran off to it, and when we got there you told me we had to get inside the cellar," she relayed. Comprehension instantaneously dawned on him.

"The passage." James muttered.

"Yes!," Lily confirmed, eyes brightening a little, "I was sort of doubtful but it was there and it got us back. I was shocked _and_ thankful."

"Good ol' Honeydukes…" he remarked.

"So how long have you known about that passage?" she inquired with a slight smile.

"We found it during second year. No one really seems to know about it," the Chaser told her, looking away as he grinned guiltily, "You're a part of the secret now!"

"I promise not to tell," the red head assured, grinning herself.

"Good! So, was that it? We went right to Gryffindor Tower? I remember being in the castle, feeling terrible."

"You do? Do you… remember it all? The walk back?"

Her pulse had quickened a tad and she unconsciously folded her arms. Perhaps he would say something about what he had said to her, about asking her to stay in his bed. Lily had been unable to stop how many times the memory had replayed in her mind so far that day, and she still could not understand it.

"Nah, not really," James affirmed, shrugging, "I just remember feeling kinda ill, and that you were helping me walk."

"Oh," she nodded, looking at the ground. He studied her for a moment and then stated:

"I can't thank you enough Lily. You were the only one there for me." The prefect looked up at him.

"Please, don't thank me so much, James. It wasn't much of a thought—isn't that what you always say?"

The Potter boy laughed once, shrugging again. He prepared to turn around back to their friends when Lily recalled she had brought his gift, having failed to give it to him yesterday with all of the pandemonium.

"Er, wait! I've got something," she called out.

"Huh?" he responded, turning back to her.

"I…I got you a birthday present. I meant to give it to you last night, but… well, here."

Lily handed him the parcel and it was apparent he was stunned.

"You got me a… Lily, you didn't have to! Really." James said.

"I wanted to. And you got me something for my birthday…. It's not much or anything. I just thought…" she alerted. He hastily tore away all of the wrapping and related fixtures only to behold a black, brand new wand holster, with the initials 'JP' stitched in gold at the bottom. James stared at it then up at her.

"Is it okay?" Lily shyly wondered.

"It's wonderful. I love it," he replied rapidly, gaze not faltering.

"Cool."

The captain appeared as if he was on the verge of saying something worthwhile but before he could get it out Sirius and Peter called out his name, more than once. James, obligated, turned to his friends.

"We need to hear how you and Ms. Evans made it back last night! Get over here," instructed Sirius.

"Yeah, with no portkey!" Dorcas added.

"Oh, we _do_ feel badly for leaving you two alone!" Alice vocalized.

"Well you bloody well should! Leaving us to rot in the village! All of you! It was _ghastly_, right Lily?" James responded, glancing between her and the other eight. Lily laughed lightly, knowing their time speaking exclusively was over and she'd be telling the story again.

* * *

Monday welcomed in the new month of April. Spring was blooming into view and new hopes and beginnings for many of the students were also marked by the month of rebirth. The seventh years became very aware that only two months remained before NEWTs would be upon them, and the Quidditch teams recognized that the final was happening next month. Apparition lessons would end before the sixth years knew it, bringing the prospect of licensing for those of age, and Dorcas was looking forward to her 17th birthday on the twelfth. Slughorn had stated there was going to be a Slug Club meeting at 8PM on April first but when the members arrived to his office it was only to see a large sign that read 'April Fools, young ones! Have a glorious night!'. (Half of the kids found his joke to be funny while the other half was bothered by showing up for no reason). Sirius and James took the ploy in stride and returned to the common room where they found the other Marauders and talked about a long forgotten topic: pranks.

"I really think we should do one for April. The last was in December!" noted Sirius.

"And today was _the_ day for one—it's the first time we didn't do one on April Fools' Day!" Peter mentioned, looking concerned.

"I know. We haven't talked about pranks in eons." James agreed, nodding.

"We had so many other things occupying our time." Remus said reasonably.

"Well, I would like to plan one. What do you lot think?" prompted Sirius.

"Yes," the Pettigrew boy concurred.

"Yeah. We'll do one." James affirmed.

"I guess that's that, then." Remus half smirked, leaning back in his seat.

"No protest?" the Black boy grinned devilishly.

"Why? I won my battle yesterday." He was referring to the previous day when he told his friends that any event similar to the birthday night out was never going to happen again while they were at Hogwarts; he received minimal resistance to the proclamation. While no one regretted what they had done, it had gone wildly astray and they were all merely glad it had worked itself out.

Consequently, the Gryffindor bond had seemed to strengthen from the illicit outing, and the one relationship that had benefited the most was that of Lily and James. The red head had spent a sufficient portion of the night with only James for company, and although he had been lucidly intoxicated she grew to be completely at ease with him. The two had finally had their own time together to be solely in one another's presence, even if it had not been ideal, and it had served its purpose. It had added to their growing friendship and given them a sense of allegiance, since they joked about the others' "horrid neglect" of them that night. On the other hand, James' relationship with Michelle appeared to be in the same manner they had left it at the three Broomsticks: rancorously unresolved. The Ravenclaw ignored her boyfriend for three days following their argument and he had no problem with it, but James eventually became bothered and asked Remus what he should do. The Lupin boy told him to speak to Michelle first and so he did that Wednesday during lunch, where he pulled her outside. They spoke shortly and it did not go well.

"Three days—it took you three days to see what happened to me that night!" Was the first thing she exclaimed.

"Michelle, you've been ignoring _me_!" he answered, shocked.

"That's a poor excuse James! It sends the message that you really _don't _care!"

"_I _don't care? Whoa, you're the one who left the pub suddenly!"

"Because you didn't CARE, again!" Michelle snapped.

"No, YOU walked out because you didn't get what you wanted! You made sure to get a portkey and then left me! I was drunk!" James angrily insisted.

"No one told you to drink that much. And you were with _your_ friends."

"Wow…," he said slowly, drawing his head back and looking at her, "And you said _I_ gave a poor excuse." Michelle's eyes flashed heatedly and she huffed.

"Maybe you need more time to think straight," the blonde alerted harshly. She then swiftly walked away from James, not looking back.

The Potter boy went to all of the Marauders after this fight to obtain several opinions. He was exceptionally upset at this point and did not know what to do or where the relationship stood.

"That's tough, Prongs. I wouldn't know what to do in your case either." Peter revealed, grimacing sympathetically. Remus sighed.

"Maybe if you approach her differently—" he started.

"All I did was take her outside and she started shouting! I reckon I'll piss her off no matter what." James said.

"Then maybe she does just need a few more days to herself. Try talking to her again after a bit more time."

"So keep waiting for her, when _she's_ ready, like I've been doing."

"Yeah, for too damn long if you ask me!," Sirius interjected, "It's not fair to you Jamesy. I'll tell you what to do—break up. You don't say anything good about her anymore! She expects you to cater to her and it's bullocks; you can't please her. Give it a rest and end it." There was a stint of silence as they took in his words.

"That's always an option," murmured Peter. Remus shrugged as though to say it was James' choice. The captain let out an annoyed groan as he ran a hand over his face. He was so tired of this….

The sixth year girls had also noticed the conflict between the couple but had not brought it up to James, for the matter did not truly concern them, but that did not halt them from discussing it. Mary observed that Michelle was not as nice as she had once been and gave no real effort to speak to any Gryffindor besides Alice and Frank, and thought "Potter would probably fair better alone, but that's just me". Dorcas pointed out that their problems only proved Michelle was selfish and clearly not the one for him, while Marlene and Lily did not have concrete viewpoints about the situation. However, the Evans girl did remember how the pair had argued last weekend and James' subsequent rant….

* * *

A/N: So is there a break up looming in the very near future for Mr. Potter? Perhaps… chapter 33 will hold the answer!


	33. Within These Walls

A/N: I start this chapter off with shock. A few days ago I discovered that Ms. Rowling wrote a chapter zero—a brief prequel—about James and Sirius! I had no idea about the marvelous bit! But here's the kicker: it was written in 2008! Dot dot dot. Blank face. I know—I'm so incredibly, embarrassingly late. I don't deserve to call myself an HP fanatic! Please, read this chapter as I cover my head and cry in shame!

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 33**

When Saturday arrived James grudgingly resolved to attempt to talk to Michelle again, despite his pride and anger. The conversation would have to wait until the morning Apparition lesson was finished, yet what happened during the session astonished everyone present. Not one, or two, but three students made it into their hoops effectively: Bruce Bowyer, Heidi Kellogg, the blonde Slytherin witch, and a thrilled Quincy Royce of Hufflepuff. None of the pupils had been expecting it and although Heidi left behind a shoe the trio received awe and envy from all. Raines was giddy and asked them to Apparate in their hoops again for certainty; they obliged his request, albeit with vast nervousness, and they successfully completed the feat once more, all shoes intact. The other sixth years clapped and cheered vibrantly as Raines praised them. The instructor then encouraged for everyone to take their success as motivation and continue practicing, which they readily did. It was now a reality to achieve!

A beaming Marlene rushed to see Bruce when the lesson was done in order to congratulate him, but he seemed to be a person of interest for numerous others as well, receiving admiration and questions. James, conversely, bid his friends goodbye and prepared himself for whatever Michelle was going to throw at him. The pair spoke for about an hour this time and at the start their discussion went relatively well; however, when James contacted Sirius 60 minutes later through the mirror things had changed.

"Where are you?" he gruffly asked, visibly irritated as he peered at his best friend.

"We're with Hagrid at his hut." Sirius answered, looking into his half. Peter glanced worriedly at Remus.

"I'm coming that way."

"Okay."

"James all right?" Hagrid wondered as Sirius put the mirror back into his pocket.

"Didn't sound like it, but I reckon we'll see. Come on mates," the Black boy commented, getting up, "We'll see you, Hagrid. Thanks."

"Bye Hagrid." Remus said while the three left the hut, waving at the half giant.

The trio encountered James outside before they made it back inside the castle.

"So what happened?," Remus asked, "Did it go well?"

"No. We ended on opposite ends yet again!" the Chaser reported, still annoyed.

"What?" Peter uttered.

"Yeah, she still wanted me to apologize for how I acted last weekend and I refused! I didn't _do_ anything! I'm sorry I didn't end the night the second she wanted!"

"Good," Sirius said, nodding, "You have nothing to be sorry about!"

"I was the one to walk away first this time, and I'm not going to be the first to go back, like I always do. She can see how it feels…" grumbled James.

"Well, you've done your part, Prongs. She can't say you didn't try." Remus alerted.

"Yes. Now let's get you in a good mood again! Can't let one witch ruin your perfectly good Saturday!" the Black boy mentioned.

"Yeah! We can go flying!" Peter suggested. Remus smiled encouragingly.

"You Marauders know how to cheer a bloke up," sighed James, beginning to allow a smile to form.

Marlene spent the remaining hours with Bruce and when she reunited with her friends at dinner she revealed she had something to tell them, but it would have to wait until they were alone in their dormitory. This gave the witches incentive to finish their meals a bit faster and when they were done they gave quick goodbyes to the boys before exiting the Great Hall.

"Start talking." Alice demanded when they were situated with the door closed.

"We're sure it has to do with Bruce since you were with him all ruddy day!" Mary affirmed, smiling slyly.

"It does!," Marlene confirmed, nodding and failing to hide a grin, "He asked me to go out with him, and I said yes!" The girls' faces immediately displayed pleasant shock and there was momentary silence as they registered what she had said.

"You have a boyfriend now!" Alice excitedly stated, staring at the other pureblood.

"I do!" the brunette acknowledged, smiling widely. She and Alice then shouted simultaneously in happiness as the Waite girl hurried toward Marlene and gave her a hug.

"It's about bloody time!" Dorcas mentioned, smiling along with Lily and Mary.

"Yes, he said he's been wanting to ask me for weeks but finally got the nerve up!" the McKinnon girl revealed merrily.

"Well, your _boyfriend_ was the first sixth year to Apparate—congratulations!" commented Dorcas.

"He was really pleased about that," she told them, laughing somewhat.

"You two are like the perfect match!" Alice mentioned.

"So… this means you've gotten over Black?" Mary tentatively pondered, not wanting to upset her roommate. Marlene peered at the Macdonald girl, her countenance changing a bit, and the other witches glanced between the two.

"Well," Marlene commenced, exhaling lightly, "It's like you said, Mary—why hold out for something I'm not even sure of? I _know_ Bruce cares for me, and I fancy him! Besides, after last weekend, I'm almost sure it would never happen with Sirius…"

…

_Marlene walked diligently alongside Sirius as they made their way through the village, his willing companion on this impromptu walk he had needed to take. She wanted to make sure nothing happened to him in his drunken state, but even when intoxicated with alcohol the Black boy appeared to be coolly in control of himself._

"_Any specific place you want to visit?" she inquired, looking at him._

"_Nope! Just fancied a walk," smiled Sirius, hands in his jean pockets._

"_I see…"_

"_Are you enjoying yourself, Ms. McKinnon? I hope you're enjoying yourself."_

"_I am." Marlene half smiled._

"_Good! I'm happy you decided to join me on the walk—it's gonna be a great walk," he vocalized._

"_I'm sure it will be, Sirius!"_

_There was a silent break in which he looked at his surroundings rapidly, before gazing back at her._

"_Why'd you come after me?" he pondered. The question caught her slightly off guard._

"_Oh!... To make sure you'd be okay—you _have _been drinking. I didn't think it'd be good for you to be alone," she answered. Sirius nodded, multiple times, hands still in his pockets._

"_That's good of you. You always do things like that!"_

"_Like what?" Marlene inquired, amused._

"Good _things! You're such a good witch, Marlene," Sirius alerted. The girl blushed somewhat, "Brilliant, in fact. It amazes me."_

"_I'm far from perfect, though."_

"_If there were more people like you, well, maybe there wouldn't be nutters like Voldemort running all over the place…. Hell, _I_ could stand to learn from you!"_

"_Sirius, you're great the way you are." Marlene told him earnestly, touching his right arm. (His use of the dark wizard's name had surprised her). He looked at her._

"_Maybe, but I've been influenced by my family—I hate to admit it. A part of me is as dark as my surname." Sirius revealed. She shook her head, wearing a small frown._

"_You're not like that," the witch insisted._

"_No?" he wondered, a minute smile on his lips, "Well, it makes me feel better that you think so. Either way though, I'm not fit for a girl like you. I've done too much, seen too much—I'm wonderfully tainted! I'd ruin you and I couldn't accept that. Nah, I'd better stick to the girls who are made for me!"_

_Marlene ceased walking as Sirius gave this proclamation, feeling her heart drop as she watched him go on as though he was casually describing homework. The McKinnon girl felt short of breath and knew her facial expression had fallen just as her deepest wishes had. _I'm not fit for a girl like you. _He had said this with such ease, such indifferent grace, as though he had never considered her in that manner, or if he had, it did not appeal to him. Marlene felt violently heartbroken in that instance and she would not even have time to process this sudden revelation because Sirius had just spotted Dorcas running up to them, pointing wildly. She would have to pretend as though a portion of her had not just crumbled in pain…_

…

"Well, you know what? It doesn't matter because you've got a smashing wizard in Bruce!" Alice advised. Mary nodded.

"Yeah…," Marlene agreed, exhaling some, "And, to be truthful, I'm really excited!"

"You should be," smiled Lily. Dorcas grinned.

"Did Gryffindor make a pact with Ravenclaw or something?" Mary posited.

"What d'you mean?" Alice asked.

"Farrell went from Lily to Dorcas, there was Fiona Etherton with Black, Potter has Parks, and now Marlene is with Bowyer! Just curious."

Lily laughed.

"Maybe we did, but I don't know about James and _his_ Ravenclaw lasting," Dorcas commented, smirking slightly, "She hasn't been too giggly lately, if you know what I mean." The girls all glanced at one another.

By Monday it was news that there was a new couple in school: a Ravenclaw prefect and bubbly Gryffindor witch. Sirius had found out the previous day with the rest of his friends when Frank mentioned it at lunch; he was rather surly for the rest of the day, but whether over this information or having to do copious amounts of homework was unclear. As for James' stance with Michelle, he stood true to his word and stayed out of her way yet it left him with no idea as to what it meant for their rocky relationship or where it should go. Talia Denton, his fellow Slug Club member, asked him in Charms on Tuesday what was going on with her roommate and he truthfully responded:

"I don't know."

Lily found that she too was inquisitive about James' terse predicament with the Parks girl and thought about speaking to him about it, but deduced he did not want it to be a recurrent reminder. What was more, if Dorcas had not even discussed the topic with him and she had been his friend much longer, the Muggleborn felt she had no place in doing so. Consequently, Michelle approached the Potter boy late Tuesday as the last class of the day ended.

"Hey," she started quietly, touching his arm. James, who was alongside Sirius, stopped and saw her.

"Hey," he replied, fixing the bag on his shoulder.

"I think we need to talk…"

"I'll see you in the common room, mate," bid Sirius, looking between the couple and observing both appeared grave. The captain nodded and his best friend continued walking, spotting Marlene walking with Frank & Alice ahead of him.

" 'Lo." Sirius greeted, catching up to and merging with the trio.

"Sirius." Alice smiled.

"Where's James?" wondered Frank.

"He got held back," the Black boy notified. He then peered at Marlene; he had not really spoken to her since the weekend, "So, I, uh, I hear you have a boyfriend." Marlene gazed at him.

"Yeah," she half smiled.

"Bowyer finally asked you out, huh?"

"Yes. I was happy."

"That's… good," Sirius noted, nodding. Frank glanced at his dorm mate, "I hope he treats you well."

"Thank you, Sirius." Marlene remarked softly. The witch then turned to Alice and continued her previous conversation as Sirius let out a sigh that only Frank heard.

Michelle and James settled on the third floor near a window to have their discussion. He found that, as she turned to face him, he felt immediate resistance. Did she feel the same way at all?

"Our relationship hasn't been the same since I told you about Meadowes not liking me," the blonde commenced, speaking in a resigned, low voice.

"You know… you're right." James said, thinking on it.

"It's unfortunate, actually."

He took a moment before answering:

"Maybe it just emphasized that we think a lot differently."

"Thinking differently isn't a problem, James, but being blind to things is." Michelle told him.

"Blind?" the Chaser repeated, gazing at her.

"Yes. You were blind and so was I, and it's lead us to crash."

"You think I couldn't see your feelings—your perspective," he slowly recognized.

"No—I _know_ you couldn't, or you simply didn't care," she stated matter-of-factly. James thought this was outrageously wrong and unfair, but he did not say so; instead, he opted for:

"And you?"

"I couldn't see what was so obvious," Michelle alerted, closing her eyes, "James, I can't do it anymore. We shouldn't be together. It's not working."

James stared at her. He knew breaking up was a possibility all along, and a part of him had even expected it, but hearing her speak the words was still a shock. The captain was uncertain about how he should feel.

"You want to end it." James stated robotically.

"I said nothing about wanting it, but it's clearly not working out," the blonde clarified, "You can't tell me differently. I mean, it's almost a guarantee we'll argue when we talk now! Lately, it's been…"

"Tense?" he offered, a bit brusque now.

"Yes. And it only happened when Meadowes butt her way in."

The Potter boy let out a significant sigh.

"Michelle—" he wearily commenced. However, she held up her hand and stopped him.

"I'm not starting a fight James—I'm only telling you I think your friend was the end of us. And I don't think it's a coincidence that she obviously fancies you." Michelle reported.

Something heavy hit James—it must have. It was the only way to explain what he had just heard; the impact evidently interfered with his auditory functioning and caused him to misinterpret sounds. What Michelle had just said made no sense.

"_What_?" he uttered, gaping at the Ravenclaw.

"Yes. I think it's one of the main reasons she had an issue with me, and I knew you'd never choose me over your Housemate. So many things made sense when I realized what her feelings for you were; _I_ was blind to that," she revealed.

"Michelle, no. That's not… that can't—" James stumbled, still floored from her statement.

"Look James, I liked you and I didn't want it to end this way," the Parks girl exhaled, shaking her head, "But… there's no other choice. It's over. I've already cried over it, and believe me that I cried a lot. I just have to accept it now."

Everything was happening so fast to the Potter boy and he felt as though he could not stop any of it in order to comprehend what was being said. Michelle was breaking up with him and believed Dorcas had a crush on him?

"Shouldn't we talk this through?" he pondered, arms out and thinking more so about her Dorcas comment.

"You and I both know we've done enough talking. We don't see eye to eye." Michelle answered.

"So, this is it?"

"I suppose…. Goodbye James." His now ex-girlfriend then bypassed him and James remained in the same spot without turning around to watch her go, in moderate disbelief about what had occurred.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was meant to have practice that night at seven o'clock but its captain knew he was not in the proper mental state to focus due to his breakup; as such, he rescheduled it for Thursday evening and alerted his teammates. When Dorcas asked about the switch James told her, in a dazed voice, that he needed the night to clear his head since "it's over with Michelle". She was the first person he had notified, having been essentially quiet at dinner, and her eyes popped out of her head when he admitted it. James then went to join the Marauders so he could finally tell them about his last talk with Michelle as the Meadowes girl ran to go deliver this information to her own friends, a grin highlighting her face.

James' roommates were not entirely surprised to discover he was single once more, but they were glad he now had a resolution. He told them how he had felt like he had entirely no authority regarding the matter—that the Ravenclaw had dissolved their relationship without his consent like a dictator. He revealed he was not really sad about the breakup but more so stunned, and that was because he did not have a say about it and she thought one of his good friends liked him. The boys were also baffled when James told them this bit and they spoke about it avidly for ten minutes; Peter prayed it was not true though said nothing. All in all, though, Sirius was quite content that his best friend was no longer in a relationship that dragged him down.

James took all of Wednesday to continue to get used to the idea of not having Michelle as a girlfriend. He would throw her intermittent glances during classes to see how she was holding up and saw that she appeared relatively calm, if not a tad subdued. Well, she _had_ claimed she had already done her crying…

Lily approached the Potter boy in the common room during their first free period together when she spotted him sprawling his long limbs in a comfortable armchair, playing with a piece of parchment. Something had merely pushed her to go speak to him.

"Hi," the red head greeted.

"Lily." James half smiled, sitting up a tad.

"So, Dorcas told us about Parks last night…. Sorry it didn't end well."

"Ha. Yeah… I was the one to get dumped."

"Are you cut up?" Lily inquired kindly.

"I don't think so," he attested, looking at her, "I _do_ have to get used to it, however. But she was right—it wasn't working."

"Yes… you didn't seem to exactly be the picture of happiness."

James shrugged and then felt the impulse to tell her about the Dorcas piece in all of this, reminded of their discussion on the grounds when he had intervened with Mulciber.

"Michelle reckons Dorcas fancies me! She said it affected everything…" he blurted out. The prefect's mouth dropped open as he gazed at him.

"Blimey!," she replied, "That—oh my!"

"I know. It's so hard for me to believe because I can't imagine that being the case!"

"Well… did you tell Dorcas?"

"No, and I don't plan to. It's only her opinion and we're over, so what's the point?" said James.

"True." Lily acknowledged, wondering what Michelle's reasons were for holding this belief. Her eyes flickered to the paper he was toying with, and after a smirk made her lips twitch, the Muggleborn reached out and grabbed it away from him.

"Oy!" he exclaimed.

"What is this, anyway?" she questioned coyly, unfolding it.

"Nosy, much?" James vocalized, jumping up while wearing an astonished smile.

"It's blank."

"Yes, for prying eyes the like of yours!"

"It's charmed?" Lily posited as he yanked it back.

"Yes. Marauder business," he commented, sitting back down.

"Say no more. I wouldn't _dare_ interfere with such powerful wizards!" she quipped.

"Always knew you were a smart one," the captain smirked.

* * *

The couples breakup was the next topic to be spit out by the gossip mill and by dinner it was common knowledge, but the succeeding day effectively robbed the school's students of their adolescent concerns and ladled them with outside reality. Voldemort was in the headlines once again after a cherished, short lived absence, and he was back with an exceptionally morbid vengeance. There were two deaths blasted on the front of the newspaper and they were disturbing because they were put on display for all to see in the Ministry of Magic's front hall. A Muggle and a young wizard in Ministry robes known as Joshua Tess were found hanging in mid air when the first Ministry employees arrived, already deceased, accompanied with a message from Tom Riddle.

_Let it be known that my detestation for the repulsive support of the integration of the Muggle world and ours has grown ten-fold this day. I will no longer passively allow wizarding kind to stand by and do nothing as our heritage becomes infested with the blood of the weak; indeed, the foul act is encouraged by those whom spit on their kin as a result._

_This day marks an even greater period of change. Stand with me and preserve our blood or fall alongside the unworthy as they lose their lives. This alleged wizard here, one Joshua Tess, is the epitome of what must be eradicated: a Muggleborn. There is no difference whatsoever between the two bodies you see before you, except that one has arrogantly paraded himself as one of us, and in our attire no less._

It was eerily silent at breakfast that morning. The pupils read the Prophet's article and felt completely horrified by it, realizing the brass Voldemort had shown by using the Ministry as a platform. Dumbledore was not present in the castle and had been gone since the preceding evening, and most students assumed he had been hastily summoned by officials for help. The headmaster's absence left McGonagall in charge and she, also troubled by the news, did not know how to address the children about the horrendous act; she felt it was Dumbledore's place. A vast portion of the student population was shaken and disturbed by the double homicide but not all of it was. Those who were impressionable, prejudiced, or trained in old values thought Voldemort's act merely showed how wizarding blood _was_ thinning out, and how Muggleborns were the lowest status but were not properly treated as such. The young Death Eaters knew about the deaths and were not as surprised as everyone else but gratified for their exclusive knowledge.

Mulciber was very satisfied the terrible deed had showcased a Muggleborn and a Muggle, noting no difference, and desperately hoped it sent a clear message to those within Hogwarts' walls; it inevitably did, and those among them were Lily and Mary. The Evans girl had to read the story twice in order to fully accept it, and when she had finished the second time four, hot, angry tears had fallen down her face. Mary looked unusually pale and a bit scared and would not say very much. Their roommates could not find words to comfort them or point out the obvious danger they were in simply for being Muggleborns, but by lunch somber discussions had begun for numerous people.

"He's utterly mad. He's sick. Saying there's no ruddy difference! A-And that innocent Muggle! For no _reason_!" James remarked, banging his fist on the table. Remus nodded sadly.

"Who gave him any right to 'save' the wizarding world? Why is he so adamant about it?" Frank pondered, holding his girlfriend's hand.

"And who does he expect to be left if he'll kill anyone who's against him?" Sirius inquired agitatedly. The ten sixth years were speaking as a whole.

"The scary part is more than a few people agree with him." Marlene observed, looking a tad distraught.

"Or if they don't they just keep quiet." Alice added.

"This is why my dad worries about me in the wizarding world—things like this," Mary quietly commenced, "He wants me at home when I'm not in school, to make sure I'm safe. A-And when I tell him it's worth it and I belong here, he doesn't…. It's why he's strict with me. He doesn't want to lose me." Her Housemates were peering at her with empathy.

"We don't want to lose you either, Mary. Or you Lily! This is exactly what he wants—breaking people up, dividing society by stupid ideas about blood!" Dorcas mentioned heatedly.

"She's right," said Remus.

"So we'll be the ones to say no, to fight for all of our family and friends." James alerted, folding his arms. Marlene nodded.

"It's such a big task!" Peter claimed, trying to hide the apprehension in his voice.

"It is, and we're still young, but what choice do we have?" Frank responded.

"Yes, because living in a world controlled by him is something I cannot support," affirmed Sirius.

"Oh—are you okay Lily?" Alice suddenly asked. Nine heads then pivoted to gaze at the female prefect. Her eyes were filled with water although it had yet to spill over.

"What's wrong?" the Lupin boy immediately posited.

"Nothing! At least, I'm not upset!," Lily told them, waving at her eyes, "It's just… I couldn't have said any of that better! I'm so thankful to have you lot as my Housemates!"

Her declaration was met with modest grins and loving smiles as the sixth years took the first opportunity of that day to smile.

The following day, Friday the 12th, was Dorcas' 17th birthday and Professor Dumbledore was back in the castle, appearing solemn at the High Table. The news of the murders had been significant and it subconsciously placed a notable damper on the Meadowes girl's day of birth; she received her gifts (which included a Silent Rebels messenger bag from James & Sirius) and acknowledgements from her friends, but they did not celebrate as would have normally been the case. The headmaster spoke to his pupils that night before everyone began consuming dinner and his message was briefer than other Voldemort addresses had been but more angry, determined, and protective.

"He seeks to spurn discrimination and hate under the guise of wizarding solidarity, yet be not fooled," Dumbledore told them, gazing around, "He would dominate by deconstructing and turning society against itself. I hope and want all of you to stand strong and firm, supporting one another and knowing the truth, both within these walls and once you leave them. And _never_ worry about your security while you are one of my students in this school."

"Damn terrific wizard, he is," muttered Sirius as they ate their meals that evening.

The next morning saw another customary Apparition lesson that all of the sixth years were eager to attend due to the promise of the last session. Every teenager had hope she or he could be the next one to correctly Apparate and wanted to be the one; Bruce, Heidi, and Quincy, accordingly, used the time to contently practice their new found skill and advise inquiring Housemates. As it were, a few more students joined the ranks of Apparating sixth years by the end of the session, including Sirius. The Black boy was extremely glad with his feat and kept a cheesy grin on his face as his Housemates assaulted him with cheers, pride, congratulations and many questions.

"I can't believe you've done it without me you tosser!" James noted when the lesson was finished.

"Sorry!" laughed Sirius.

"Wow! Padfoot—you did it!" Peter giddily exclaimed.

"So glad it was a Gryffindor today!" Frank smiled.

"Yes, you're like Bruce now!" Marlene mentioned. The Black boy gave her a sideways glance but someone else was already speaking up.

"How'd you do it, Sirius?" Alice asked.

"Yeah—what was different in your mind?" Mary pondered.

"I was just… really focused! I was set on truly envisioning those ruddy Ds! But, I used other things to focus my concentration," he relayed.

"What do you mean?" Lily posited.

"Well, I was thinking about You-Know-Who and what he did the other day; I thought about what he's doing to our world and how much I hate him for it. I reckon it really focused my attention." Sirius explained. He had also been thinking about how Bowyer had managed to do it a week ago and did not want to be upstaged.

"That makes a lot of sense," noted Remus, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Well it's brilliant that you've done it, Sirius! You would be the one!" Dorcas declared.

"Only because he's old—the oldest codger of us all," smirked James.

"Jealousy, Potter!" Sirius ginned as the others laughed.

It rained unexpectedly on Sunday and the reprieve of joy Sirius had gotten for being one of the first to Apparate was broken in the form of an owl. The bird was dripping wet as the Black boy accepted the letter from its foot, hooting agitatedly, and then it flew to the hearth where a fire was burning. (The students near the fireplace stared appreciatively at the owl).  
"Who's it from?" asked Peter, shaking his homework free of water the bird had brought. The four boys were completing work at one of the common room tables.

"Er…," started Sirius, unrolling the parchment and peering at it, "It's from Andromeda!"

"Cool." Remus smiled faintly. Sirius then started reading what his cousin had written.

"This doesn't make any sense," James said, looking oddly at a set of notes, "This can't be right."

"What?" the Lupin boy questioned.

"The spell was first cast by Artemus Ardwick in 1723 in the parlor of his family home when two angry fairies held his cat hostage for an unsettled debt. They told him pay up or piss off… _what_?"

"What are you reading?" Remus demanded, taking the paper.

"Peter's notes from Charms on Friday! Wormtail, what the hell is this?" James commented, looking at his friend.

"I wrote what Flitwick said!" the Pettigrew boy defended.

"This is _not_ what he said," negated Remus.

"W-Well, that bit I _did_ have to get from Sirius—I missed what he said. And that's what Padfoot told me!"

"And you trusted him?..." smirked James. Peter made a sound of disappointment.

"What if I had written that on an exam? Always taking my mickey!," he mumbled, "Moony, can I see your notes?"

"And why weren't _you_ taking notes, James?" Remus wondered, giving Peter his parchment.

"Had to work out some Quidditch plays," the captain replied. The prefect snorted in dismay.

"My uncle died." Sirius announced quietly. His dorm mates' heads all whipped suddenly to stare at him.

"Died?" James repeated fearfully.

"Yeah. My mum's brother, Alphard. It was a few days ago… natural causes."

"Oh…" Remus began sadly.

"Andromeda said she was at the reading of his will and so were my parents. Apparently he left me something but nothing for them or Regulus, which left my mother very upset and screaming." Sirius reported.

"What'd he leave you?" Peter inquired.

"Gold. A decent amount too, from what Andromeda says. She said it's already in my own account at Gringotts and she's keeping the key safe for me."

"Wow," uttered James, appearing dully surprised like the others.

"Yeah…. He mentioned I was a good nephew in the will and knew I'd need some help since my parents had disowned me."

"Well, we're sorry about it, Sirius. We knew he was one of the few you liked." Remus mollified while Peter nodded.

"Thanks," he exhaled, looking at the letter once more.

Sirius knew the money would help sustain him while he finished his last year at school and likely beyond graduation, but he felt it had come at a cost. He was also curious to know what his brother knew about the death and recognized he would approach Regulus about it no matter his feelings towards the boy. Sirius used the Map to see when exactly his sibling would head to the Great Hall for dinner that evening and waited to intercept him before he went inside. (The Marauders went to eat without their fourth member, knowing he needed this time to be alone and would rejoin them when ready). When the Gryffindor saw Regulus was nearby with two of his roommates he took it as his chance, thankful his brother was not with the sixth year Slytherins.

"Regulus." Sirius stated, walking in from the left and peering both expectantly and sternly at his brother. The trio of fourth years looked at him skeptically.

"Yes?" he answered impatiently.

"We need to talk."

The younger Black boy scoffed rebelliously but his brother's stern gaze did not waver, although he said nothing in response. Realizing that Sirius was not going away, Regulus' countenance changed to appear moody and he turned to his Housemates.

"I'll be in there soon," he told them curtly. Sirius felt older sibling triumph as the two Slytherins walked away without a word.

"Well what is it?" demanded the 14 year old.

"Uncle Alphard died." Sirius answered.

"Oh… yes," Regulus acknowledged, seeming uncomfortable now, "Who… who told you?"

"Andromeda."

"So she told you about his will?"

"Yes," said Sirius. Regulus nodded, gazing at the floor.

"Mother says his will was meant to mock everyone, every true Black. She said he was an awful, nasty brother and she won't miss him," he relayed.

"Of course she said that—she's bitter he gave her what she deserves: _nothing_! The greedy old loon!" Sirius retorted angrily.

"You shouldn't speak that way about Mother." Regulus advised, eyes narrowing darkly.

"For Merlin's sake, Regulus! When are you going to think for yourself and stop listening to her? She's insane, they're _all_ insane! They target and disown anyone who doesn't think exactly like them! Alphard was one!"

"And you're another… everyone thinks you'll die for leaving us."

This was not said to be hurtful or accusatory but rather stated as a fact, a reflection, and it hit a part of Sirius.

"Well I think you'll die for staying," he answered lowly after a moment.

"It's a race then, isn't it?," Regulus sneered, the contempt back in place, "Either way, Alphard's coming off the Tree; Mother said she's making sure of that. Now if you'll excuse me, dear brother!..."

The Slytherin then turned around and continued his path to the Great Hall but Sirius did not follow. He was no longer hungry, if he had ever been, so he made his way up to Gryffindor tower, aggravated. Only _his_ displaced family could alter his mood so quickly.

* * *

A/N: So there's not much Lily/James action in this chapter, but I think I'll make up for it by posting two chapters next month. Deal? Cool! Also, Michelle is now out of the picture so rejoice! Haha. Until May, readers!


	34. Marauding Idiots

A/N: I am so proud of myself! I have been writing like a woman possessed and am quite far along in the plot of this story; as such, here is the first of two postings for May. Also! I reached over 100 reviews! Yay! That rocked my socks, so, I'm happy about that. Now, to address some of these reviews… thanks to _Pika, ghostofyourlastlaugh,_ and_ Doctor Brittana _:)

_Novelnerd: _L/J action is in the forseeable future, I solemnly swear! Bear another chapter or two with me. Lol. Sorry.

_RobinHP: _I'm glad you like my story! I laughed when you mentioned Frank not having friends. I could see that… but he _does_ have the Marauders—they consider him a friend. And of course he has Alice.

_Imagination: _I really appreciated your "awkwardly long" review (which are the best kind). I'm glad you think I'm not rushing the relationship and have lots of different things going on.

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 34**

Slytherin had its last, normal Quidditch game of the season against Ravenclaw two days later. The ravens fought hard, not wanting to go down so easily and simply give the snakes the win, and when the Snitch appeared the score was tied (70-70). Coombs shouted animatedly as Phines and Regulus soared through the clear, blue sky to loud cheering from the stands, but the Slytherin reached it first.

"And oh my—Black has captured the ball, breaking the tie and bringing his House its third consecutive win! Well, looking at their records, it seems as though Slytherin is surely playing in the final next month! They must be happy!"

James, however, was not. He hated Slytherin like the rest of his teammates and was irked they would be playing in the Quidditch final come May. The captain had practices scheduled that night, Thursday and Friday since Gryffindor's own game was six days away (on Monday) and he was set on winning.

"Hufflepuff doesn't deserve to go to the final! If they won—if!—they'd have to play Ravenclaw for the second spot, and we all know Ravenclaw would kill them. But Slytherin would kill Ravenclaw in the final and Slytherin winning is nothing less than unacceptable." James told them. Everyone around him knew he was back in strict Quidditch mode and would not leave this state until the match was over next week.

Severus had initially been glad with his House's victory because it was one more thing to feel superior about, but his mind soon glossed over it and reverted to its prior occupation: Lily. The double homicide of the Muggle and Muggleborn had truly made Snape concerned for the Evans girl's well being. She was precisely the type Voldemort and his supporters wanted gone from the picture and they seemed able to achieve this without difficulty. Well, Lily was the one person Snape could not bear to see suffer or lose and he needed to protect her. He needed to keep her out of harm's way and he knew he could do it—he had status now! Severus had to merely make her aware of this and let her know he could help her; he just had to speak to Lily to make her understand.

The Slytherin waited for an opportunity to approach her for days, one where she was not too close to any of her Housemates (but this was arduous to accomplish). It was on a Thursday after Herbology had ended that Snape thought it would be a good try, for Lily had been held back a bit from struggling with her semi-troublesome plant. When she was done with it she hurried out of the greenhouse and he covertly followed. Once they were outside Severus had only turned the corner in earnest before rapidly pulling back to hide himself, shocked to see Lily standing next to James Potter, who was holding his school bag in one hand.

"Here," she said, handing him a book and three quills.

"Thanks," he replied, stuffing it inside before bending down to retrieve the last of his possessions on the ground.

"What happened?"

"Rosier. Thought he'd make his wee mates laugh, I reckon."

Snape felt satisfaction upon hearing this as he listened and watched them.

"They _still_ haven't grown out of first year antics?" Lily pondered.

" 'Course they haven't! Would you expect more of them?" James responded.

"Well, you grew out of them," the witch noted, smiling at him. The Chaser paused to look at her, a gradual grin spreading across his face. Snape paused to look at her as well, but with bafflement; his mouth opened somewhat.

"It's all an act, Lily." James jested, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Oh is it? For whose benefit?"

"Dunno. Maybe loads of people. It made _you_ see my brilliance!"

"Your brilliance?," Lily repeated, laughing once, "That's what you call it? Okay!" She waved her hand as to playfully wave him off, but he glanced at it swiftly before seizing it and refusing to let go.

"James!" the red head exclaimed with a bit of a laugh, peering at him.

"See? All an act," grinned James, continuing to hold on and gazing back.

Lily instantly had a flashback of the birthday night when she helped him walk back to their rooms, how heavy he had seemed, how warm he had been, and how close they had been on the wall. This prompted her to yank her hand out of his grasp and say something to joke the way out of the moment, unsure as to why that had replayed in her mind.

The two Gryffindors walked for the castle but Severus did not pursue, partially because his legs felt as heavy as lead. He could not believe what he had just witnessed and it was beginning to indisputably tear him apart. In the matter of not even five minutes Snape had seen Lily, his Lily, wait for and help James Potter, _smile_ at James Potter, laugh at _James Potter_, joke with him, call _him_ by his birth name, and the greatest travesty of them all: _touch_ the boy! No doubts could possibly exist any longer for the Slytherin had seen it with his own eyes; he had watched their sickening interaction unfold as if the two had gotten along for years. Snape wanted to burn the image of Potter holding Lily's hand out of his brain forever—he wanted to erase her smile directed at that prick and never allow another! Severus knew what he had to do as he finally came from his perching spot to walk back inside, and he was more than willing to see it happen.

As of late, April had been a hospitable month for Care of Magical Creatures to return to having classes outside once again. That day Kettleburn had his pupils working in teams to study Bundimuns.

"Isn't it weird? Having to see her in classes?" wondered Dorcas, glancing at the Ravenclaws briefly as they worked.

"Yes. But I only broke up with her recently; a few more weeks will pass and it'll be like nothing ever happened." James replied. (They were obviously speaking about Michelle).

"Exactly," agreed Sirius, "But I think you should've said _she_ broke up with you, Prongs!"

"Sod off," the captain smirked.

"Mr. Potter!" Kettleburn called out, peering at the Gryffindors. James straightened up and looked back at the professor.

"What'd I do?" he uttered to his Housemates.

"Dunno. Kill anyone lately?" Sirius answered.

"Not since Thursday… I'll be back." James notified, walking to meet the professor. Dorcas and Sirius turned back to their creature and assignment.

"I knew long ago Parks wasn't the one for him—not worth the trouble," she remarked, sighing some. Sirius laughed once.

"She was all right in the beginning," he clarified, "So why weren't you keen on her?"

"Call it very strong intuition." Dorcas shrugged.

"You are a laugh, Meadowes, really," grinned Sirius, "Just like one of the blokes!"

The witch looked at him with furrowed brows although she was smiling while he handled the Bundimun (which tried to bite his hand).

"I'm what?" she asked.

"Like a bloke! You're great because you're a guy who just happens to wear a skirt instead of trousers," he relayed. Dorcas continued gazing at him for a moment before dropping her eyes to the grass, thinking about what he had just told her.

"Did you just call me a boy?" she posited. Sirius looked at her.

"What?," he began, noticing her countenance, "Wha—_no_! No! Dorcas, of course not! I didn't mean it like _that_! I know you're a girl! You just…"

"Just what?"

"You know—it doesn't even matter! Don't worry over it, love."

But Dorcas did worry over it, and she told her roommates about the conversation that evening at dinner.

"He called me a boy," she bluntly stated.

"He did not," smiled Marlene.

"Yes he did! He said I was like one of the blokes, one of the mates! Trouser wearing mates!"

Mary and Lily laughed.

"Dorcas, I reckon he only meant that he can trust you like one of the boys—relate to you in that way." Alice explained.

"Relate to him because I'm not girly enough?," Dorcas commented, "Well that's only a step better!"

"You are probably overreacting Dorcas. Why has it gotten to you this much?" Mary vocalized.

"Because no girl wants to be told she's like a boy, Mary!"

"Of course not," sympathized Marlene.

"I think Alice is right, Dorcas, and Sirius meant it to be a good thing. After all, you have been the one witch who's stuck with the boys since first year, the very beginning." Lily relayed.

"Yeah," sighed Dorcas.

"And maybe every once in awhile just remind them that you _do_ have a feminine side so they don't forget it." Alice offered.

"Are you telling me to flash them?" the Meadowes girl smirked. Her friends laughed.

Having already had a handful of sixth years Apparate in previous lessons was enough inspiration to cause a group of new ones to perform the feat on Saturday morning. Six new pupils managed the skill, including James, Marlene, Marcus Hamilton, Snape, Avery, and Fiona Etherton, which made Raines elated; he gave his opinion that most of them would be prepared for the first testing for licensure on May first. (There was only one more scheduled session with him—the 12 weeks were nearly up). Alice mentioned that a lot of pressure was off for those who would not be 17 by the beginning of the month since they could not take the examination until the summer anyway. This made Peter, whose birthday was in June, feel remarkably less stressed.

The Marauders discussed their prank idea for awhile before three of them went to Hogsmeade with the other upper years. The boys decided it would be carried out on the last day of April, rather like a reverse April Fools' stunt and to ease the inevitable nerves they would have over the Apparition exam. Sirius bid his friends goodbye for a few hours when they left for the village and they were going as a trio with no dates, since James had not gone alone for many months. Alice and Marlene separated from their dorm mates to be with their boyfriends and Dorcas spent some of her time with Alex but the remainder with Lily and Mary.

"When do you think Dumbledore will let Padfoot back at Hogsmeade and Quidditch matches?" Peter asked as the three walked back towards the hub of the village, having come from the Shrieking Shack.

"Probably not 'til seventh year, honestly." Remus answered, hands in pockets.

"He'll hate to miss the final, especially if we're in it."

"Oh, we'll be in it," attested James, So—no Abigail this Saturday, Remus."

"Nah. I thought of going stag this time in honor of your new status," the Lupin boy responded. The captain smiled at the joke.

"So when are _you_ going to actually focus on Dorcas, Pete?"

"She's discovered Farrell if you haven't noticed," he grumbled.

"Take some advice—if you don't want things to get too deep with them, the key is to terrorize him. Years of fancying Lily taught me that." James reported. Remus shook his head, smiling.

"Hey—Potter," a girl called out as they passed a shop. They looked to see Slytherin Eleanor Trivers standing by and appearing somewhat perturbed.

"What is it, Trivers?" he replied, appraising her skeptically.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"_Me_?"

"Yeah… it won't take that long and it's important."

"I… I suppose," James muttered. He peered at his two dorm mates, "I'll catch you up in a bit."

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" Peter wondered, looking questioningly at the witch.

"Really Pettigrew?" she scoffed.

"I'm fine," the Potter boy affirmed.

"We'll be at Merlin's Layer." Remus alerted. The Chaser nodded and his friends walked away.

"I don't want to be overheard." Eleanor mentioned, marching to the side of the shop. James followed, quite curious as to what she wanted to talk about since the two rarely interacted.

When the pair turned the corner, things happened in a flash. Eleanor all but ran from the scene, not looking back, James gawked after her in perplexity before feeling someone grab the base of his neck & upper arm, and he was pushed forcefully into the building's wall. He inhaled severely as adrenaline and alarm shot through his veins and his eyes sought to identify the attacker.

It was Snape.

"What the fu—" he began to snarl, feeling fury upon seeing the other boy. But Severus cut across him.

"What have you done to Lily!" he demanded, glowering at the Gryffindor and pushing on his neck.

"What?" James shouted, feeling shock and using his hands to grip Snape to release him.

"What have you done to _Lily_!" the Slytherin angrily repeated.

James finally got a solid hold on Snape and wrenched his grip loose, hurling the wizard back and snatching his wand from its holster (the one Lily had given him) while he glared at his enemy with gritted teeth.

"Don't you ever touch me again, Snivellus," he growled, "The next time you get the idea in your greasy head I'll just use my fists!"

Severus did not seem to hear or care about the threat of future, physical harm because his chest was heaving as he stared at the captain and said:

"You tell me what you've done to Lily." His wand was also drawn.

"What in the world are you going on about?" James pondered, squinting fiercely.

"She hates you, Potter—_hates_ you. As much as I do! It's been that way since first year!," the Slytherin revealed heatedly, "Your arrogant, disgusting attitude and self-view! But this year, sixth year, things are off! You've Confounded her, o-or given her a potion of some kind! It makes no sense! Why would she _ever_ want to be around _you_!"

"People grow up, Snape—you should look into it!"

"You haven't; you never will. Lily should see that, should know you'll never change! She can't trust you _or_ your pathetic mates! Talking to you, eating meals with you, this, this… first name bullocks! You leave her alone, d'you understand me? She's not like everyone else at that school!"

"I know she isn't. But tell me this, _Severus_: do you find it coincidental that Lily and I finally became friends right after she stopped being yours?" James posited. Snape blanched at these words while he stared at the captain.

"She's _not_ your friend," he commented brusquely, as rigid as a board.

"Yes she is. After five years, with your toxic influence over her gone, yes she is. And I love it," the Potter boy said. Snape's face contorted with hate and anger and he brought his wand up to dueling position.

"Just stay the _hell_ away from Lily, Potter; this is your notice. You have no business being near her," he hissed. James studied Severus with contempt but did not flinch, eyebrows drawn and remaining silent.

"Dear Merlin…," he mumbled, "I can't believe I've _never_ noticed before... even with Remus!... Bloody hell…"

"What?" Snape spat. What was this buffoon murmuring about? James shook his head as he continued to gaze at the Slytherin, attempting to ignore the fact that he had just realized Snape had romantic feelings for Lily.

"No," the Chaser commenced in a normal tone once more, "I've told you before you don't frighten me, Snape. You never have. _You_ have no business telling me to stay away from her, and you only would if you feel threatened. She's my Housemate and my friend, and if you have an issue with it, well, you can always transfer schools."

James straightened his shirt, crumpled from their struggle, while he glared at Severus and began to walk away. He did not take his eyes off the Slytherin in case he tried to assault him again, but as he was about to round the corner where Eleanor had led him, he scathingly uttered:

"You don't _own_ Lily, Snivelly—that's your problem. Well, one of them anyway…"

And James was gone, knowing he was not going to alert his friends about what had transpired with Snape yet feeling satisfied that the boy was so very bothered by his stance with Lily. Severus watched the Gryffindor leave, feeling helpless and infuriated. He was speechless. Potter had not only dismissed his concerns but made them grow, in that maddening, smug I'm-so-much-better-than-you manner of his Snape loathed! He had acted as though _he_ knew everything about Lily, her thoughts and feelings, and as if Snape were the crazy one! Well they would see if Potter was so smug come next month; Severus knew what to hit him and the remaining Marauding Idiots with as he made for the Hog's Head.

* * *

James candidly glared at Eleanor Trivers for the remainder of the weekend. She had set him up to be ambushed by Snape and he did not appreciate it, and the female Slytherin certainly noticed his disgruntled leering. (It made her feel quite uncomfortable, to say the least). Consequently, on Monday all thoughts were on Quidditch: Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were competing in the sky after the third class of the day. The lions were rather confident they would prevail against the badgers, for their adversaries were the weakest team among the four, but they were still somewhat anxious. Sirius promised he would watch the game from a castle window as the Gryffindor players left for the pitch and they were met with enthusiastic cheers from other Housemates on their way out. Coombs appeared to be especially vested in the match and reported the plays in a tense voice that would occasionally explode into shouting whenever something worthwhile occurred.

Hufflepuff gave Gryffindor a run for its money, surprising all other Houses and staff members. James' team did not know what had happened to the typically meek House but they played with an intensity and determination not usually demonstrated. Gryffindor did not have it easy and when the Snitch flew into view after a long stint they were losing by 20 points. Mitchell wasted no time in hurtling after the golden ball, and after a seven minute chase, he snatched it before the other Seeker (having to fly into a group of stunned Ravenclaw second years). Gryffindor immediately began roaring with joy and relief as Hufflepuff deflated.

"And… it's over. With a final score of 210 to 80, the lions… win. Looks like Gryffindor will be facing Slytherin next month in the Quidditch final." Coombs flatly commented.

While the Gryffindor team members were undeniably glad they ended up winning the game, they made sure they congratulated the badgers on an exceptionally well played match.

"Damn good catch, Mitch! We needed it." James noted in the locker room, before they went to join their happy Housemates.

"Yes!" Dorcas acknowledged as the Beaters pat the grinning Seeker on his back. Rodrigo attested Mitchell was wearing his crown when they returned to the common room.

"Hufflepuff was brutal today!" Elizabeth stated. The Potter boy nodded.

"Yes, but we did it. And now we have four weeks to think about and prepare for the final. I want that _Cup_!" he relayed.

The full moon came three days later and Remus was to miss the last two days of the school week. They had two exams in Defense and History on Friday so this worried the prefect to an extent but his friends had no idea why; although he would miss taking them that day he had until the upcoming Wednesday for retakes. Snape had been rather subdued in hastily acknowledging the Marauders since his run in with James at Hogsmeade but his loathing came back fully fledged on Thursday. He told the Gryffindors Remus' secret would be exposed one day and he would be hunted down like the creature he was, and also assured them they would soon be receiving a surprise of their own. Both statements incensed the boys but there was little they could do to retort, especially since the Slytherin told them this in Transfiguration where their Head of House was present.

With a guaranteed exam on Friday it was all too easy for the Marauders to claim they would be up late studying for it when, in reality, they would sneak out to run around as four legged animals. Frank asked them where they planned to go that allowed them to be out past curfew and they cheerfully reminded him to not question or doubt them. They had a pleasurable night with the werewolf and managed to fit in two hours of sleep the next morning before beginning their day. There was a Slug Club meeting that night at eight o'clock when classes had ended and Sirius & James knew that Remus would most likely be back in the common room when they returned from the dungeons. Consequently, before the start of it James was lounging in his favorite armchair with Dorcas for company and Sirius appeared to have gone missing.

"D'you reckon Remus gets worn out from leaving every month to go home?" Dorcas inquired.

"I _know_ he does!" James attested. She nodded.

"And he's one of the nicest blokes so it's really unfortunate about his mum!"

"Yeah, it is. But Moony's a fighter," he alerted, rubbing his eyes. There was momentary silence in which Dorcas smirked a bit while studying him, and then said:

"All right—tell me."

"Tell you?" James repeated, looking at her with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes. Moony. Prongs. Padfoot, Wormtail. Your names! What do they mean?" smiled Dorcas. Realization then hit him and he offered up a lopsided grin.

"Ah—_that_. Sorry Meadowes—no can do," he mentioned.

"And why not?"

"It's strictly confidential. Only Marauders can know."

"Nicknames are confidential?" she questioned.

"Yes," the captain stated.

"Oh come off it, James!"

"What? It's true! I can't tell you!," he half laughed, "They have meaning but no one knows it but us. It has to stay that way."

"You really won't tell me." Dorcas remarked, peering at him humorously.

"I'm bound by secrecy."

"I thought we were closer than that, James Potter," she said, crossing her arms and smiling sweetly. The half blood tucked hair behind her ear.

"We are. But unless you're a Marauder you'll likely never know." James smirked.

"Well… what does yours mean?"

"Dorcas!" he chuckled disbelievingly.

"I wanna know!" she vocalized. In the next moment, conversely, two witches strolled up to the pair.

"Dorcas," Lily acknowledged, smiling, before turning to James, "Are you ready, James? The meeting starts soon."

"Yeah, yeah!" he answered brightly, standing up and nodding at her and Jessica.

"Oh yeah—Slug Club." Dorcas uttered, looking between them.

"Where's Sirius?" James and Lily asked each other simultaneously. This made them both smile.

"Now James, why would I know where _your _best mate is?" the red head pondered.

"Dunno. Thought you might've seen him around," the Chaser shrugged.

"Not since dinner… should we wait for him?"

"Nah. He's a big boy; I reckon he can find Slughorn's office on his own."

"Okay. See you later Dorcas!" Lily bid as the three started to walk off. James put his hands in his pockets and commenced talking as the Meadowes girl leaned back in her seat and felt slightly vexed their conversation had been halted, and also that he had not given her a goodbye.

Sirius turned up to the dungeons right before the meeting began, sitting next to James with a smug grin. The Potter boy asked where he had been and received the reply "with Jeena Armstrong". Jeena was a seventh year Gryffindor and he had apparently been speaking with her at length and lost track of the time. James said nothing but inwardly smirked, wondering if Sirius' hormones had jolted him to find a new female friend after months of inactivity. Snape spent much of the hour that Slughorn spoke staring at James and it did not go unnoticed, so when nine o'clock came and the students were leaving, he jokingly threw an arm around Lily's shoulders just to get under the Slytherin's skin. Needless to say, it worked.

The Marauders' long delayed prank happened on the last day of April at breakfast. It was rather rudimentary in nature but a subtle reminder to the school that they were still around. Extensive, strong Sticking Charms were put on all of the House benches and the four Heads' seats at the High Table at 6AM before anyone was in the Great Hall. The four sixth year lions made sure to charm their own bottoms before sitting down that morning so they would be resistant to the joke; while they did not plan on getting up and thereby identifying themselves, they merely did not fancy being stuck to the bench. It naturally took awhile before anyone attempted to stand up and thereby set the prank in motion, yet when it finally happened it was quite entertaining to behold.

Students struggled and strained against the tables, making faces and noises as they tried hopelessly to get up. Many kids could not help but laugh at the situation and their neighbors' efforts, and when the four professors realized what was happening and exasperatedly went to help, they too discovered they could not move. This earned even more laughs and snickers from the Marauders as they watched an irritated McGonagall. A smiling Dumbledore came to the rescue with four wand waves when he found his chair had been spared.

"Well, it seems the prankster or pranksters is back! And with an attempt to make the entire school late for first classes!," he vocalized good naturedly, "Your derrières are now free to hurry to your classrooms, young ones."

"And we were beginning to think you four had forgotten about gags!" Frank grinned as he hopped up.

"We're not quite dead yet, Frank." Sirius replied with a smile.

The following day was May first and the day of reckoning for the eligible sixth years who were taking the Apparition licensing test at two o'clock that afternoon. Mary, Peter, Alice and Frank all watched their anxious Housemates head off at a quarter until and attended nearly empty class sessions at the top of the hour. The quartet rushed back to its common room when the bell rang and waited for the other six, to hear the test's outcome before they had to attend the last class of the day.

"I'm 17 in eleven days—talk about bad timing." Mary noted as they stood waiting.

"Oh, it's them!" Alice remarked, seeing the portrait hole open and Gryffindors enter. They walked to meet them halfway.

"What happened? How was it? Did you all pass?" Peter posited when they were reunited.

"Breathe, Wormtail!" smiled Sirius.

"Go on! Tell us!" Mary urged.

"Yes, we passed! All six." James revealed, grinning.

"Wicked!" Frank exclaimed as Alice smiled.

"It _was_ nerve heckling," admitted Marlene.

"Did anyone not pass?" Peter asked.

"A few. Gates left behind his fingernails." Remus responded.

"Tosser." Sirius smirked. Dorcas sniggered.

"You four will be fine come summer." Lily assured.

"Yeah. All of you have more brains than Gates."

* * *

With May being the month of the Quidditch final, Slytherin and Gryffindor practiced twice a week for one and a half hour slots. The snakes had Monday and Wednesday and the lions had Tuesday and Thursday: Crimps was also present at most practices to ensure no mishaps from rivalry occurred. The most imminent thing on Snape's mind, however, was not Quidditch but the strategic assault he had planned for them, which he decided to execute on Thursday the ninth. All of his roommates minus Rosier had agreed to be involved and it required luring the Gryffindors to a part of the castle where they could ambush them without intervention.

It was to happen during dinner when everyone would be busy eating. Mulciber scared a third year Hufflepuff into waiting outside the Great Hall with a forged note from McGonagall until the Marauders showed up to go inside for the meal.

"Um, I have a message for you!" he alerted, giving the paper to Remus with a shaking hand. The prefect accepted and read it with his friends peering over his shoulders.

"She wants to see us? Now?" Remus inquired.

"Y-Yes."

"Is she in there?" Peter pondered.

"No no! She's waiting for you already," the third year told them.

"Thanks." James said, taking the note. The badger nodded and then ran inside the Hall.

"Great! And I'm really hungry too!" Sirius stated, throwing his hands out.

"Someone always wants to see us." Peter remarked as they turned around for the main staircase.

"She didn't say anything earlier in Transfiguration." Remus mentioned.

"Pete's right—our reputation precedes us," James uttered, "And we've been good this year!"

"We really have. But that's in part because you've changed, Prongs." Sirius commented.

"I have not!"

"Yeah, you have. I'm finally accepting it and you should too."

"Maybe you should accept shutting up," the Potter boy grumbled. His best friend smirked.

"He's right, James." Peter added, smiling some.

"Wormtail—stop talking."

The four were soon on the second floor and walking down an empty corridor when it went utterly dark. Every source of light had gone out, throwing them into blackness, and they stopped walking.

"Whoa." James vocalized.

"What just happened?" Remus wondered.

"It's probably Peeves," scoffed Sirius.

"Well we can tell McGonagall he made us late." Peter noted.

"Just do _lumos_, mates." Remus said.

They, however, had no chance of performing the spell because in the next instance mayhem erupted in the darkened hall. All four boys were suddenly hit with spells and they yelled out in shock and pain.

"The hell!" Sirius shouted.

"Worthless filth!" a voice savagely replied. It belonged to Mulciber, and the Marauders instantly realized the Slytherins had set a trap for them before they were hit again and the fight began.

James fell to the stone floor with a grunt, feeling pain shoot through his left shoulder. He hastily groped for his wand, hoping he retrieved it before his assailant could strike again. Rage and adrenaline surged through his veins as the sounds of shouts, scrapping shoes and magic rebounded off the walls. They had been blindsided by their enemies and it made him possessed with anger; he refused to go down.

The Potter boy aimed his wand at his best approximation of where the Slytherin was as a jet of orange light came at his wand. He jerked out of its path and used his own silent spell as he let out a growl. It apparently made contact because the person hissed in pain, and James then used his position on the floor to his advantage—he kicked his legs out wildly to take down whomever he was aiming for. The move worked and the snake fell over with a surprised yell. James got off his back and turned over in order to stand up but he only made it to his knees because the one attacking him struck again.

"You arrogant _prick_!" the Slytherin snarled. James felt a slicing sensation on his neck and immediate blood commence to flow, as well as now knowing who his attacker was.

"Snivellus!," the Gryffindor spat, livid, "_Lumos_!"

Light shone from James' wand and illuminated Snape who was right in front of him and also crouching. The light momentarily made Severus freeze but in the following instance he lunged at the captain. James was able to move quickly out of his way and push him fully to the floor, but Snape used one of his hands to grab James' robes and pull him with him.

"You bastards are deranged!" the Chaser mentioned ferociously as the two grappled with one another.

"No, just sick of you and your mates!," Snape retorted, reaching for his neck, "You don't deserve anything Potter, and that includes Lily! Stay AWAY!"

"Right after you do!" James snarled, feeling renewed anger at the attempt of strangulation and mention of Lily. Staying true to his word and last run in with the Slytherin, James drew back his right fist back before hurling it into the side of Severus' face.

This act effectively ceased Snape, who shouted in pain, and the Potter boy jumped to his feet. He lit his wand once more and rapidly moved to see what his friends were dealing with; Sirius and Mulciber were battling mercilessly, Avery had Remus pinned against a wall, and Gates had just doubled over Peter.

"Prongs! Help Peter!" Remus stated. The prefect then flicked his wand and Avery was hit with a hex, causing him to release the Lupin boy.

James nodded and rushed for the smallest Marauder as Remus sent another incantation at his opponent before producing a fluid, white light that shot out of the dark hallway and back the way which they had come. The captain rapidly pondered what that had been but he did not bother to ask as he raised his wand and hit Gates with a curse.

The fighting between the boys did not carry on for much longer and Snape rejoined the battle without much delay, yet it felt like an eternity to them. What sufficiently stopped their violent squabble was the dosing reemergence of the corridor's light and the appearance of Filch, McGonagall, and Debra Thorne.

"STOP!" Minerva yelled authoritatively, peering around at the sixth years with her wand out.

"Every last one of you lower your wands!" Thorne snapped. The wizards listened, knowing it was over and that the situation would lead to significant trouble.

"I just received a Distress Charm during dinner, which had to come from a prefect!"

"I sent it." Remus confirmed, breathing raggedly.

"You eight tell me what was happening here, _now_." McGonagall ordered, noticing all of the physical damage on the boys.

"They were dueling." Filch postulated, glaring at the group.

"Yes, but we were ambushed!" Peter remarked, looking a nervous mess.

"We were walking down this corridor when the lights went out and then the next thing we knew the Slytherins were attacking us!" Remus relayed.

"That is what happened, but _we_ were the victims!" Avery commented.

"Sodding snake!" snarled James.

"LIAR!" Sirius yelled.

They made to get Avery which caused Remus, Snape and Mulciber all to move in defense, but McGonagall ceased them with a forceful wave of her wand.

"_Enough_!" Thorne shouted.

"You boys, you lot specifically, refuse to listen. You do not learn, you do not care about consequences! You _insist_ on this rivalry!," the Transfiguration steely lectured, "I have no way of knowing who is telling the truth. _All_ of you will be punished, and severely! I am going to alert Professor Dumbledore—"

The Marauders immediately started protesting, feeling stunned and desperate, but Peter broke through.

"No! Professor, please! It wasn't us! We have proof!" he begged, coming forward with the forged note. The Slytherins appeared dumbfounded as he handed it to her.

"Yes! The note! They had a Hufflepuff year give it to us, said _you_ wanted to see us!" James explained.

"It's why we were up here!" Peter said fretfully. McGonagall read the short message with a furrowed brow and when she was done she peered at the Slytherins with a quiet fire in her eyes.

"Forgery is not a light matter," she notified in a foreboding tone, "This… this matter requires the headmaster. Debra, Argus—I need you to escort these students to the Hospital Wing; they have obviously harmed one another and need to see Madam Pomfrey. I will be there shortly with Albus."

"Yes ma'am." Filch stated while Thorne nodded. At the mention of the infirmary James realized he _was_ injured—they all were. His muscles were aching, his left shoulder was still in considerable pain, and his neck was covered in blood from Snape's cut.

"Let's go, all of you. Slytherins around me, Gryffindors around Mr. Filch," commanded Thorne.

The sixth years tautly yet silently obeyed instruction as McGonagall strode off, undeniably angry and intent on fetching Dumbledore.

* * *

A/N: So I know their prank was very lame, lol, but I couldn't think of anything. Cut me some slack, ha ha ha. I'll post chapter 35 in about two weeks, and Lily will appear again in it (I know she's kind of been missing). Farewell for now!


	35. James and the Giant Squid

A/N: So I like this posting twice a month thing… I think I'll keep it up. But now it's that reviewer shout out time again: _Lauroxo, LiveLife, emandem, IAMSOAP_. Thanks for your reviews!

I also have to point out that quite a few of you have been asking about Dorcas and questioning if she likes James. My answer to that is 'no comment'. Lol! I will eventually address that friendship but not at this point. Mean, I know. As for this chapter, more Lily/James and **much** more in chapter 36. Yay!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 35**

Madam Pomfrey was shocked to see the group of ten arrive at the infirmary and even more distressed when she saw the physical state of the boys. Thorne told her about the incident as she began placing the teenagers in beds and gathering multiple bottles and potions together in an agitated manner.

"We don't need—" Mulciber initiated.

"Hush, Mr. Mulciber! You didn't _need_ to start a duel but you did so anyway, and now you're in my care!" the mediwitch cut in sternly. He shut his mouth but glowered.

"Professor Dumbledore is on his way," the Defense professor mentioned.

"Right," Pomfrey nodded, "Well, a quick examination of all of you and then remedies. I'll start with you Mr. Avery… the right side of your face is obviously welling up. Tsk."

"Not a word from you lot until the headmaster gets here." Thorne notified, gazing at them disapprovingly.

Consequently, he arrived for to the Hospital Wing with McGonagall shortly thereafter. Dumbledore studied the eight wizards silently, appraising their appearance with critical stealth and they peered back nervously (albeit Sirius & Mulciber, both of whom continued to look furious).

"I was told by Minerva four of you were unexpectedly attacked, and it seems it was premeditated," he finally remarked in a steady voice. The eight boys all glanced at each other then at the headmaster.

"Er, yes sir," James began, raising a hand, "Sirius, Peter, Remus and I were on the second floor, going to meet Professor McGonagall; we'd been told, and given a note, t-that she needed to see us."

"We were about to enter the Great Hall." Sirius revealed.

"Yeah, and when we were walking through the corridor it suddenly got dark, then… they attacked us." Peter added.

"Yes… and Minerva showed me the message, of course," Dumbledore responded, taking the note out of his robes, "This is _not_ from Professor McGonagall, as she attested. Forgery is a grave offense at Hogwarts; do any of you four have an explanation?"

Everyone looked at the Slytherins and they recoiled slightly, yet said nothing.

"No? No clarification?," the old wizard prompted. It was quiet still, "So as it stands, you sent the Gryffindors a fake notice under the guise of Minerva here in order to lure them to the second floor, correct? Solomon, Walton? And you did this so you would be able to harm them more easily, yes? Derrick, Severus?"

"But it didn't go as planned, did it?" grumbled Sirius.

"I am just very curious to know what guided you to intentionally assault these young men, since you presumably knew it would not be prudent."

"You've already formed your opinion about what happened, sir, so why bother asking us these questions?" Avery inquired, frowning heavily.

"Because I find it exceptionally perplexing that you students seemingly do not hear a word I utter, and continue to engage in malicious acts," Dumbledore answered, hands behind his back and narrowing his eyes, "Enough victims are being targeted in the world and I will _not_ see my pupils mirror that! I cannot repeat myself enough and eventually will stop; then _I_ will be the one to act." The Slytherins appeared uncomfortable.

"I believe what the Gryffindors have said, and fought back because they had no choice. However, this vicious feud between _all _of you young men has reached its limit and I am impatient," he reported briskly.

"What's going to happen, Professor?" Remus questioned.

"The Slytherins have lost their privileges for the rest of term. No Quidditch Final, last Hogsmeade trip, and they've acquired weekly detention until school lets out. You have also abolished your House's chance of winning the House Cup for the year." Dumbledore explained. Gates looked sadly shocked while Avery and Mulciber were acutely aggravated; Snape appeared upset and bothered.

"W-We're not in trouble, are we?" asked Peter.

"No Pettigrew, but let it be a lesson." McGonagall answered. James and Sirius looked full of vindictive satisfaction.

"You eight will remain here until Poppy deems it necessary and will not even consider giving her trouble. I think, to prove this point, you need to be separated—a Slytherin next to a Gryffindor." Dumbledore notified. The teenagers all gawked at the headmaster.

"_What_?" Mulciber uttered.

"Yes Albus," Pomfrey nodded, inspecting Remus, "I'll have them move as soon as I've checked them all."

"I hope tomorrow is a better day for you all. I will see you then," the old wizard bid.

"And Professor Slughorn _will_ know of this." McGonagall attested, gazing coldly at the snakes.

The three instructors and Filch then left the infirmary while Sirius threw his head back on his pillow and groaned.

"This is going to be a night in hell!" he commented.

"Merlin… so much for Quidditch practice at seven." James mumbled, shaking his head.

The night was notably rough for the eight enemies, and it was the entire night—the nurse decided they needed to be tended to overnight and would be released in the early morning.

"You can only blame yourselves. You did a number on each other!" she scolded.

The physical discomfort only made being housed next to a rival worse and they laid in tense silence unless Pomfrey was not in sight, at which point insults and threats were thrown about. (They had had their wands confiscated).

"It takes significant cowardice to do what you bastards did!" Sirius growled.

"We could've done so much more had Lupin not cried for help like a sobbing git." Gates retorted.

"Shut up." Remus demanded through gritted teeth.

"And of course Dumbledore and McGonagall come to save the wee bitty Gryffindors!" Mulciber mocked.

"Save us? But yet you berks are in the Hospital Wing too." James gruffly remarked.

At some point the wizards closed their thin hangings so they would not have to see the person closest to him and waited for Friday to dawn so they could leave their medical prison.

Pomfrey awoke the sixth years at 6:45 so they would have some time before the first class of the day at 8AM. She gave them their respective wands and potions and sent them on their way, warning them to keep away from one another. The eight teenagers glared hatefully at each other once outside the infirmary's door.

"Better luck next time, I reckon," mentioned Sirius.

"We'll make sure of it." Snape assured.

"Blah blah blah. Same old story! Come on mates." James stated, walking away.

"I can't wait until I see them outside of Hogwarts walls and Dumbledore's pathetic influence." Mulciber snarled, narrowing his eyes.

The Marauders returned to their dormitory before heading to breakfast 30 minutes later where they saw their female counterparts. Frank had been in the room when they entered and they filled him in about their seeming disappearance the night before, which thoroughly surprised him.

"Where have you four _been_?" Marlene pondered when the five roommates sat down at the table.

"Yes, you were nowhere to be found yesterday night!" Dorcas said.

"You had us right worried." Alice noted.

"Well, perhaps you were right in that—we were in the Hospital Wing overnight." Remus revealed.

"Why?" Lily questioned, sounding incredulous.

"Because we got in a duel with… oh you know who I'm going to say!" Sirius responded resignedly.

"They planned our attack." Peter commented. The four then recounted the incident for the shocked witches.

"Please tell me they're getting expelled!" Dorcas heatedly remarked when they had finished.

"No. They now have the same punishment I do but also ruined Slytherin's chance at the House Cup," the Black boy replied.

"Well they need to be expelled—they're dangerous! This is habit for them!" Alice vocalized as Marlene nodded.

"It is." Mary uttered.

"Are you lot all right?" wondered Lily, gazing at the Marauders.

"As fine as we can be, Lily love! Poppy is a miracle worker." James half smiled.

"Yeah, but I'm still wearing these bandages, and for a week!" Peter sighed regretfully.

"Where are they?" Mary asked.

"The lower part of my abdomen _and_ my left knee. Merlin's hat, it hurts…"

"Yeah. Avery tried to practically sever my leg in two so I have a tourniquet for awhile." Remus sourly observed.

"And Jamesy and I have arm problems! Won't get all of the feeling back in my right arm for three weeks and I have a fractured wrist. We returned the favor for those wankers, though." Sirius reported. Frank opened his mouth to speak but Dorcas rapidly cut across him.

"Arm problems? What'd they do to you, James?" she sharply posited.

"Snivelly's second curse—I fell and hit my shoulder; dislocated it. It's in a sling," he commented, nodding at his left arm (where his robe was hanging loose due to the lack of limb).

"James, you can't use that arm!" Dorcas stated, mouth agape.

"Tell me about it. Homework will be hard to do but at least it's not my wand arm… Marlene, do you still have any self writing quills?"

"You also can't play Quidditch!"

"Don't remind me," the Potter boy half whined, half growled.

"You can't throw with a dislocated shoulder or fly correctly!," she continued, "The team is going to go complete nutters when they find out!"

"Speaking of which, did you lot have practice yesterday?"

"No! We were preoccupied and worried with the vanishing of our captain!"

"Damn it! I'll have to ask Crimps about booking time for Sunday, then…" he muttered, appearing reflective.

"James." Dorcas began, gazing at him intently.

"And for future reference, always continue with our practices! I don't care if they find me dead in the Forbidden Forest."

"Oh yes, because serious injury is a trifle thing, really!"

"When there's a final coming up, yes—it is." James responded.

"Well what's the point in competing if you can't play?" she questioned.

"Dorcas, Pomfrey said it's only on for four days. Don't panic."

Someone then coughed a few times and the Chasers looked up, stopping the verbal exchange. Their friends were studying them.

"Sorry, but that could've gone on for decades," grinned Sirius.

"It was entertaining though!" Mary offered.

"You two sounded like an old married couple." Frank chuckled. Alice and Marlene giggled at this while Dorcas gaped at the Longbottom boy before quickly busying herself with waffles, red beginning to color her cheeks.

"Quidditch is a matter of life and death, you know this," stated James, ruffling his hair with his left hand. Lily smiled, not having seen this dying trait in quite some time.

"Yes. We know!" Remus assured.

"I like how the conversation went from the awful attack to Quidditch." Marlene noted, smiling.

"Yeah, well, who wants to spend much time talking about the Slytherins anyway?" Sirius lightly quipped.

Mary's birthday was two days later on the 12th. James had his rescheduled practice at noon (during which he mostly instructed), but afterward her Housemates commemorated the day by having a nice picnic for by the beech tree since the weather was so pleasant and inviting. In the morning she had a bouquet of daises from Remus waiting for her along with the rest of her gifts and it made her noticeably happy; she wore one of the flowers in the her hair for the rest of the day. The picnic was quite enjoyable and the ten teenagers spoke candidly with one another, only leaving the comforts of outside when the sun had begun to set. At a certain point the giant squid was brought up when they saw one of its tentacles.

"Hey, it's the squid! Would you still rather date him than Prongs, Lily?" Sirius pointed out. She looked at him, slightly surprised, while the others laughed.

"You always did love making James clear of that." Alice smiled.

"Well!...," Lily started, struggling not to blush, "The squid _is_ a nice bloke! But to answer the question, no—I would not pick him over James anymore."

"Finally!," the Potter boy grinned, "It only took six years! Well, if that's the case, Lily, d'you mind me asking you to go out with me?"

It was evident he was joking as he sat with his uninjured arm resting on his right knee and his lopsided grin on his face. Yet he was gazing at her intensely like he had done so often in the past, and Lily found that it was causing her to blush as she peered back. In the end she had to look away first, least she turn as scarlet as her House's color.

As Madam Pomfrey had predicted, James' sling came off on Monday evening at his insistence, although it was still a tad sore. He told her he "needed both arms for practice" and felt good enough. His three friends, however, had days ahead before their battle wounds would be completely healed; the captain also had a light scar on his neck from Snape's slicing spell that could only be seen in direct light. The Slytherins had suffered too, consequently, with significant injuries from the attack and were sour about it, wishing their plan had ended smoother. (Half of Avery's face remained discolored and swollen and Mulciber had a broken hand, for example).

Lily found that as the days of May came and went, she found herself thinking about James more and more amongst the professors' growing frenzy of trying to wrap up for the end of the school year. The Muggleborn liked being in his presence—she reasoned it was as simple as that. He was very funny & clever and his constant good mood seemed to be contagious; Lily really questioned why she had not seen these qualities before, like others had, and felt sorry about it. She looked at him a lot more, even when they were not talking to each other, and she was usually smiling when they occupied the same vicinity. The red head had even had a conversation with him until half past midnight one night and found herself wearing her orchid pin quite often. All of the Marauders were enjoyable as she had come to pleasingly discover, and Lily thought that perhaps she was coming to feel the same affection for James as she did for Remus. Of course she had liked Remus from day one, but… the Potter boy was a special case, and one that had taken over quickly. Besides, they were friends and friends were permitted to feel this way about one another—encouraged, in fact! It did not matter if one female friend recalled their exchange near the portrait hole, in which he wanted her in his bed, more than was probably necessary because it did not mean anything. It also did not matter if one friend had her breath taken away unexpectedly on certain occasions by the male friend from endearing grins or unplanned touches, although she did not understand why this was her reaction. Either way, Lily deduced all of her feelings were merely the result of being eager about a new friendship.

* * *

James was relentless during the last week of Quidditch practice and changed the sessions to two hours, but his teammates did not gripe since they also wanted to win the coveted Cup. (The captain now had extra motivation to defeat their rivals due to their brash assault on him and his friends). Conversely, before the final game arrived the last trip to Hogsmeade for the term came on the 18th. Remus was spending his time with Abigail so Peter and James convinced Frank to hang out with them, which left Alice to merge with Lily and Mary. Marlene was with Bruce naturally and Lily had turned down a date offer from Paul, which had not been as easy as she hoped, but Dorcas was not permitted to go for a failure to turn in two consecutive Divination homework assignments. The Gryffindors did meet up as a group for drinks toward the end and when they returned to school it was only to find out that Jeena Armstrong had stayed behind to spend time with Sirius. His dorm mates inquired about her at dinner and he happily answered their questions. He had approached her first, she had not seen anyone since October when she broke up with Dante Bruss (a lion seventh year), and she was planning to work in the Department of Mysteries after graduation.

"We've only talked a handful of times but I really like what I hear," the Black boy grinned, "She's intelligent, perceptive, bold, and has this flirty side that's making me mental!"

"Sirius and a Gryffindor! This has never happened!" smiled Frank.

"What was right in front of me, yeah?"

"She's _pretty_." Peter remarked, looking down the table at her.

"I'm very aware!" Sirius replied. Jeena was a biracial witch, a white mother and black father (both wizards), with very curly dark brown hair and an alluring smile.

"Don't botch this one up," smirked James.

"Yeah. Anything will be better than Fiona!"

The following day James became wholly submerged with thoughts of his favorite sport since the final was the succeeding day (Monday the 20th). He did not speak much unless it pertained to Quidditch, he pestered his teammates on a frequent basis with questions and scenarios, and he glared at the Slytherins whenever he saw one. Yet the Potter boy was not sole person heavily weighed down by anticipation—countless students were fervent to witness the game. Sirius had yet to watch a match as Padfoot but he told the Marauders tomorrow would be the exception because it was too important to miss. James escaped the common room that night to walk the castle to help rid of his agitation and he ended up on the first floor staring at the House point hourglasses. Slytherin had the least amount of gems present courtesy of its sixth years but Gryffindor was not greatly above, and the second to last since Sirius' actions in January had cost his House as well. The lions were not going to win the House Cup for the year unless a lion essentially saved someone's life, so James was putting all his stake on winning the Quidditch Cup to even things out. It's all he wanted.

The sun shone brightly and fully on Monday, as if welcoming a sporting event. The final was scheduled at noon and no one on either team could focus on anything but Quidditch that morning. Mr. and Mrs. Potter sent their son an enthusiastic good luck letter at breakfast while pupils in the hall made bets on the outcome of the match. (Peter himself had placed a five Galleon wager with a Hufflepuff fifth year).

"How's that arm, Potter? Ready to win a championship?" Edmund Priatt grinned at one point.

"More than ever," he answered.

Noon came rapidly and the Gryffindors were encouraged noisily by their Housemates and other supporters as they exited the Great Hall.

"Be careful, all of you! Dorcas, James!" Lily deemed, her hair in two braids with gold ribbons.

"You'll be smashing, Mitch! I know it!" Marlene said, a small lion painted on her cheek.

"Can't wait!" winked Sirius.

"Kick arse, Dorcas!" Alex mentioned.

Coombs was ready to commentate as the 14 players faced each other on the pitch and Crimps stated the brief formalities.

"Right, then—let's go!" she declared after James had shaken hands with Hollenback, blowing her whistle. They all shot up on their brooms and the cheers began.

"I'm already on edge!" Peter observed in the stands. Remus nodded his agreement, tight lipped. The full moon was the following night so he was showing signs of illness.

"We haven't had the Cup since third year! Come on Gryffindor!" Marlene remarked.

"And the Quaffle is snatched by Slytherin Chaser Boon! He flies, determined, to the opposite side of the pitch with his fellow Chasers! But here comes Gryffindor Beaters Flores and Welps, pelting those Bludgers like madmen! _Oh_! they manage to hit a Chaser but Boon flies overhead out of their path, and is coming up on the goalposts! He palms the ball, raises his arm, and… no good! Folks, Boon's try at the first goal is thwarted by lion Keeper Elizabeth Green!" Coombs reported avidly.

"Way to go Lizzie." James mumbled under his breath.

As it turned out, Slytherin did get the first goal of the game several minutes later but Gryffindor followed suit not very long afterward. The first injury of the match happened when a Beater's bat made rough contact with Amy's right arm, allegedly a total accident. After this incident a snake received a Quaffle to the face, James was hit in the neck, Hollenbeck had a wrist sprained, and all the Beaters had conspicuous lumps, accidentally of course.

"The next person to cause an 'accident' it OUT!" Crimps notified the players.

During the 20 minutes in which the injuries were sustained more scoring was accomplished: the lions had 40 and their rivals, 50. Elizabeth had stopped a good handful from going in.

"And Slytherin is currently up by one goal! Chaser Dunesfield is now in possession of the ball and is holding on tight! The Slytherin players start to move in and she… passes it to Meadowes on her left! Meadowes streaks off to the right as her Beaters fly in to scatter the snakes. She's clear and moving fast, with the goalposts in mind no doubt!" Coombs relayed.

"Go Dorcas!" Alice urged.

"She—oy! And a Bludger is hit right at her! Meadowes swerves up to avoid it but drops the Quaffle… and Gryffindor captain Potter is there to catch it! He secures it from underneath!"

"Yes! Good save Prongs!" Remus muttered, clenching his fist.

"Potter takes up where Meadowes left off and Dunesfield is right behind him. Slytherins Gafalda and Hines come in from the right but Potter speeds up, crouching low! He throws it back to Dunesfield… who passes it off to a recovered Meadowes, who shoots it back to Dunesfield—well, it looks like the ladies are playing hot gobstone here!," Coombs announced, "And the ball's now thrown back to Potter, who looks set to aim at the goals! He hurls the Quaffle, and… it goes in! The score is now tied 50 to 50!"

The lions cheered merrily while the snakes booed loudly, and Mary hailed the captain's goal along with Marlene. Conversely, in the next moment, the Snitch had zoomed into view and everything changed.

"And not even thirty minutes into the match the Snitch comes out, everyone! Its capture will bring this final to an end and declare a winner!" Coombs energetically stated.

"This is it, Mitch!" James shouted hoarsely, his Seeker already in pursuit.

"You're better than Black!" Rodrigo yelled.

"Yeah, we'll see!" a Slytherin Chaser sneered at them.

Mitchell's heart pounded in his chest as he drove his broom to its potential, his eyes only on the Snitch; he could see Regulus in front of him by a hair. He _had_ to get the winged ball—had to. He had to bring his House its first victory in three years, had to win James' first year as captain and his as Seeker. Mitchell then propelled himself up and over the other Seeker, not hearing anything but the "must win" mantra in his head. Regulus glanced up in surprise for a second, pondering what was the Gryffindor's objective, and in the following instance Mitchell sped up before diving straight down and snatching the Snitch on his way.

"And that's it—that does it! With a dive bomb move by Seeker McKinnon, GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP 200-50!" Coombs screamed.

Regulus gawked in astonishment as the lions started to go wild with joy joined in by Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. James flew in a circle grinning uncontrollably and pumping his fist, crying out in elation. Frank and Alice were hugging each other tightly while smiling along with Lily and Marlene. Peter and Remus were jumping up and down, shouting. The Beaters rowdily waved their bats and yelled as the Chasers and Keeper all descended upon Mitchell and crushed him into a hug, with Elizabeth and Amy crying happily. After two minutes of celebrating in the air, the Gryffindors bypassed the thoroughly stunned Slytherins and landed on the ground to the sound of continued glee from their supporters. Kirby and Rodrigo hoisted a grinning Mitchell onto their shoulders as James pulled Amy and Elizabeth into a three way hug, laughing. When he turned to Dorcas she was positively beaming, and before he could do anything she moved and grabbed the front of his robes, pulling him down to her level and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm… I'm sorry! I didn't mean—I'm just happy!" she vocalized right afterwards, turning red. James initially looked at her in surprise but a grin soon overtook his countenance.

"We all are, Dorcas!" he assured.

The rest of Hogwarts' students then began to pour onto the field in order to be closer to the winning team when the headmaster presented them with the Quidditch Cup, and as the proud captain continued to laugh and smile, he thought he heard a dog barking somewhere in the background.

There was a party that night, of course, and someone made a scarlet cape to go with Mitchell's crown. Sirius had put the house elves on stand-by in case Gryffindor won and he ran to the kitchens to give them the go after dinner that evening. Every lion was ecstatic and treated the seven players as royalty; James usually had a few dedicated, swooning girls at his feet but that night there were even more crowding the captain's space. Amy expressed her excitement at winning her first year on the team but sadness that she had just participated in her last Hogwarts Quidditch game, for which her teammates were also despondent. Remus enjoyed the party but not in the same blatant way as the others, sitting for most of the time he was present, and he was one of the first Gryffindors to retire for sleep.

"It's an early start tomorrow since I'm going to visit Mum—I need to call it a night," he told his Housemates, standing up.

"Oh! We wish you could stay down here longer with us," pouted Lily, standing next to James, "But we understand."

"Sleep well Remus." Marlene mentioned.

"Yes, good night." Mary bid, touching his arm.

"Thanks everyone. Ruddy great job today, James," the Lupin boy said, giving a small smile.

"Why thank you Moony!" the Potter boy remarked.

"You'd better not be snoring when we get up there," advised Sirius, holding his fourth bottle of butterbeer. Peter chuckled as Remus waved him off, walking away.

"Let's get back to partying, shall we?" Dorcas offered.

"We shall!"

"So did I tell you your plaits make you look 12 again?" James inquired, turning to Lily and smirking.

"Shut up! I wore them to support _your_ team!" she responded, trying not to smile as she swatted his shoulder.

McGonagall ensured the festivities ended at 11PM that night since it was "a Monday, after all" and her disgruntled students had to consent, yet as James went up to his room along with everyone else he could not help but feel spectacular. His sixth year had turned out to be amazing so far—he had passed every OWL, become Quidditch captain, learned to Apparate, came of age, befriended Lily Evans, and now won the Cup. What more could he ask for, besides a carefree full moon with his friends the next night?

* * *

Sirius was spending more time with Jeena Armstrong and there seemed to be a growing attraction there.

"She's only got a few more weeks left here—the term ends next month!" Peter pointed out during the last week of May.

"I know! Why didn't I pay more attention to her sooner!" the Black boy commented as the four strolled the grounds.

"You can keep in touch with her over the summer, and even when we come back in September." Remus revealed.

"Yes…"

"Then it'll be _our_ last year," mused James, quietly. They all peered at him. It was true yet strange to hear.

"Oy, James! Are you trying to depress me even more?" Sirius questioned, furrowing his brow.

Since the second term was winding down to a halt the pupils had much work to complete and the three upper years were shown no mercy whatsoever. The fifth years were lost in books preparing for OWLs, the sixth years had multiple essays and projects to keep them busy, and the seventh years were losing hair and sleep studying for NEWTs. Many kids formed study groups that met diligently in order to help one another with their work load and the sixth year lions were a part of that. Quidditch was over, the last Slug Club meeting was in June, and Dorcas' Defense lessons with Peter were through so much more time was freed up.

On a particular night of one of these "study snores", as Sirius had labeled them, Lily was grouped with Alice, Frank, James and Marlene for Potions. When questioned about joining them Sirius had replied his brain needed an evening off from work and they had not seen him much since then.

"It's not _normal _working this much!" he grumbled, stalking off.

That had been hours ago and it was now a little past midnight. Lily sat languidly tracing the letters on the front of her book with her quill, slouching over a bit. Frank and Alice had gone somewhere over ten minutes ago, claiming they would be back shortly, and so she was waiting for them. Marlene had dozed off to sleep during their absence, already appearing groggy before they left the table. Lily was also tired and apparently so was the rest of her House—the only other people in the common room was a huddle of seventh years near the empty fireplace. Lily traced her last letter and glanced to her right: James was asleep as well. He had his face flat on the pages of his textbook and was using his right arm as support, mouth closed. The red head let her quill drop as she looked at him, somewhat drowsy herself. She remembered a joke he had told earlier that day in Transfiguration and how he kept repeating the punch line when it was least expected or during silence, causing his Housemates to laugh; the memory brought a faint smile to her face now.

Lily let her eyes roam over James' slumbering form. His glasses were pushed up his face due to his position and she vaguely wondered if she should correct them, but decided against it since it would likely wake him up. She peered at hands, the right of which was clutching a quill, and observed that his fingers were slender and long, much like the rest of his body. As Lily let out a yawn her gaze came to rest on his hair, his perpetually messy, signature hair. The prefect had never seen James' hair tamed in any way and wondered if it was possible for it to lie flat. She thought its unruliness matched its owner's personality perfectly and recalled how often he had used to purposely make it even more disorderly. Lily had seemingly detested this habit of his from day one and, as she slowly gazed at his pitch black locks, she knew that a part of it was because… she had always rather… secretly liked James' hair. This fact had never been admitted to anyone and it had taken her a very long time to admit it to herself, for what business did she have liking an attribute about someone she (used to) dislike? But that was in the past and Lily could now admire his hair without conflict; she had always pondered what it felt like as well, since it looked utterly chaotic.

_You can touch it now—he's asleep_, a voiced notified.

The witch frowned, questioning from where that had come. She could not just touch his hair like that—it would be weird! And James _was _asleep! Apart from feeling like an invasion of… him, the action might wake him!

_Not if you feel the tips, you know._

That was true, but… but what in the world! Lily could not do that, as though she were pouring a cup of tea!

_Why not? He's touched you so often in the past, and this is _just_ hair! Only for a few seconds. Go on—you can do it; he won't even know._

The Muggleborn glanced at his head again before firmly shaking hers. No. The voice was crazy. She would not do it. Lily picked up her quill preparing to start back up, but in the next instance she dropped it. Her eyes flew back to James' hair. Well… what was the harm, really? No one would see, it would not disturb his sleep, and it would satisfy her curiosity. Her hand appeared to lift of its own accord and move carefully towards the captain's head as she stared intently. Would it be soft, thick, slip through her fingers easily?...

"Oy," someone suddenly stated, very close at hand. Lily literally jumped in place and yanked her hand back as if she had been burned, turning swiftly with wide eyes to see whom had spoken.

Frank and Alice were back, approaching the table. The red head's heart was pounding in her chest from nasty surprise and the memory of James' request then shot rapidly through her mind once. What was the relevance and why did it _always_ replay!

"You're back!" Lily said, heart still beating away while she looked at them.

"Yeah… we're thinking of calling it a night. What d'you think? Everyone's out of it anyway." Frank explained, indeed appearing sleepy.

"Er, yeah… yeah! I think that's best."

"We'll finish another time." Alice revealed, walking around to wake Marlene.

"James—wake up mate," the Longbottom boy remarked, leaning over the table and prodding him in the forehead.

"Wha'? Whas up?," he mumbled, lifting his head up suddenly and staring blearily at Frank, "I'm awake, I'm up!"

"We're going to sleep. Enough studying."

"Oh thank Godric." James yawned, stretching his arms as Marlene stood up and collected her possessions.

"Lily held out pretty well!" Alice half smiled.

"Uh, I suppose," the red head chuckled faintly and willing herself to not look at the Potter boy.

"Ready, Lily?" Marlene posited, standing near Alice.

"I, erm, think I need a minute… to finish things up."

"Okay. We'll see you upstairs," the Waite girl mentioned as they began to leave.

"Good night girls, Lily." Frank bid.

"Yeah—night Lil." James muttered, preparing to walk away with his things. He placed a lazy hand on her shoulder in farewell before he joined Frank for the boys' staircase.

The Evans girl initially froze when she felt his touch on her shoulder, and when her classmates were gone she exhaled loudly and put her head in her hands. What was wrong with Lily? Touching James' hair for goodness' sake! The urge had been very strange and clearly meant she was sleepier than she thought if it was propelling her to do delusional things.

* * *

A/N: I hate writing Quidditch scenes. Gah! They're too difficult! Thankfully I don't have to worry about that for awhile since the season is over. And might I just add that I really think you all are going to like the next chapter, very very much! It's what everyone's been waiting for! Mwa ha ha! But you have to wait for it, lol.


	36. The Missing Scent

A/N: So I recently wrote a story about Sirius called 'Departure' that focuses on his experience right after his death at the Ministry. If you like him in particular you should be kind and check it out (and yes, I am plugging my own fic. Lol). Thanks to _Looz-x, Potterlover _and the other readers who have put this story on their favorites/alert list!

_team.K_.: I'm glad you really enjoy my story and it made you smile! And I like Dorcas a lot too, to be honest. Their seventh year will clear a lot of the complicated relationships up, ha ha.

Long reviews make me a very happy writer—they imply I'm doing something right!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 36**

With the commencement of June, the students realized they only had three weeks to get all of their affairs in order before they were sent home on the Express for summer vacation. That fateful day was on Thursday the 20th and the seventh years of the school felt a growing sense of resistance and sad nostalgia now that their final month had arrived. NEWTs were set for the second week of June and after that daunting task was completed the eldest pupils of Hogwarts would leave their home of the past seven years. The weather, however, seemed to reflect the attitude of the younger years that would be returning and were happy about the summer: vivacious, bright and warm. Mary was dismayed to see that Abigail was still keeping up her vexing habit of staying around Remus while Peter was glad to observe that Dorcas had fallen back some from Alex. Yes, the witch continued to speak to him and be friendly but much of the time not spent with her dorm mates was spent laughing with James & Sirius, which meant Peter could be with her too.

On the night of the last Slug Club meeting, a Wednesday, Slughorn appeared a bit forlorn.

"We will not see each other here again until October, and for some of you this is farewell for awhile! Ms. Britches, for example!" he exclaimed, gesturing to the Head Girl. Melody blushed lightly, the ice cream sundae he had provided them with in her hands.

"I hope you all have enjoyed this year in the Slug Club," the professor commented.

"We have, sir." Roger Walberry assured.

"Very good! I also hope you have exciting plans for the summer holiday!"

"Oh yes. We'll be in Italy!" Sirius answered, grinning.

"How marvelous!" Slughorn stated. Regulus gazed at his brother shrewdly as did Snape.

"You're going to Italy?" Lily murmured to James, smiling a little.

"Yeah… birthday gift from my parents!" he replied quietly.

"That's brilliant!"

Some ten minutes later Slughorn's alarm sounded and it was the end of the meeting. He bid them many pleasantries as they left and told the seventh years to keep in contact with him once they became settled. When the four Gryffindors returned to their tower, Sirius called Remus and Peter over so he could tell his best friends something he had been contemplating for weeks.

"You all know the gold Alphard left me," he started, "Well, I'm going to use it so I can get my own place." They gawked at him.

"Your own place?" repeated Remus.

"Yeah. I'm 17 now and I haven't got my family to rely on. We've only got a year left here at school and it'll be good to have somewhere to go when I'm out, somewhere that's mine."

"That's what you've got us for!" James notified.

"I know Prongs. You and Mum and Dad have been great to me, for years now. But I reckon it's time for me to get out on my own." Sirius relayed.

"When are you going to start looking for homes?" Peter asked.

"Throughout summer, but I won't move 'til the end of it. I know James'll go mental if I move out right when we get back so I'll give the poor lad his time."

"Oh yes, I'll just lost it, I will!" the Potter boy responded, shoving Sirius' shoulder (who laughed).

"It _will_ be a good thing, Padfoot; I'm glad." Remus smiled.

"Yeah, the Marauders' hideout!" added Peter, grinning.

"Be warned Pettigrew, I'll have security. For Death Eaters and scavengers like you!" the Black boy remarked.

Peter's birthday was the 15th of June and his friends had a difficult time deciding what to do to ring it in. Hogsmeade was out of the question and they briefly considered risking an afternoon swim in the lake (which was against school rules), but in the end he got an elf made cake like all the others and had a late night joking in their room. Peter also had a rowdy visit with Hagrid and received his watch from his mother, and enjoyable gifts from his friends, so the day was not a lost cause.

Her name was Cathy Detz and Lily thought she was quite inappropriate. The Evans girl had always known of her, conversely, with the witch being a fifth year Hufflepuff, but she had become much more noticeable towards the end of May. (This was around the time she had begun conversations with James, consequently). Lily did not understand the other girl's intentions. Detz had waited for an inopportune point in the year to speak to James about whatever her concerns were—Hogwarts would let out before they knew it. Not only that, but he had only ended his relationship with Michelle Parks in April; people would think Detz had a crush on him or something, which clearly could not be the case! James never seemed to turn the girl away when she approached him either so Lily thought he was not helping the situation. The Hufflepuff had horrible timing and was oblivious to the fact that the term was over soon and James had recently broken up, and the red head thought someone should tell her this. The Potter boy did not have time for _whatever_ she wanted of him and Lily thought the Detz girl was inappropriate for not realizing. In fact, Detz's poor consideration notably perturbed the Evans girl and made her like the other witch less with each passing day.

Lily was very eager to know if her friends also noticed how silly Detz was acting and decided to broach the subject one day at lunch. She had been walking into the Great Hall with Dorcas, Mary & Alice when they bypassed James talking to a smiling Cathy, the pair leaning against a wall; the gall of the witch pushed the red head to open her mouth.

"What's going on with Cathy Detz?" she posited once they were seated. Alice had parted with them to sit with Frank and Marlene was with her boyfriend as well.

"What d'you mean?" Mary replied.

"You haven't noticed she's been around James lately?"

"I have, and she has." Dorcas bluntly mentioned.

"So you've noticed too!" Lily said, turning avidly to the half blood.

"Yeah."

"I just don't… understand why."

"Maybe she likes him." Mary shrugged. Lily peered at her but Dorcas snorted in disgust.

"That'd be stupid. He's just gotten out of a barmy relationship! What's she playing at?" the Meadowes girl remarked.

"I know! And the term is over very soon—what does she expect? To know him over the summer?" the prefect supplemented, glad to know someone was on her side about this matter.

"Oy, I do _not_ want to start this again!"

Mary studied both girls for a moment before pondering:

"Is it a bad thing? I mean, since neither of you fancy him what's the big deal?"

Lily wanted to instinctually say it was simply because this Hufflepuff was being inconsiderate of James' predicament but… what did that even mean? Thinking this was a feeble answer, she did not reply yet felt irritation at Mary's question as she snatched a fork.

Lily's next decision was to go to a Marauder about the persisting Detz problem. This happened on her last night of rounds with Remus and both teenagers had abandoned their school robes due to the inviting warmth of the season, leaving them in their uniform clothing. He had his sleeves rolled up to reach his elbows.

"Do you know much about Cathy Detz? I know she and Abigail are in the same House…" she commenced.

"Er, not really… I know she's nice," he responded.

"All Hufflepuffs are _nice_."

Remus laughed and then commented:

"She _has_ been talking to James these past weeks."

"Yes, I've noticed. I wonder why." Lily said.

"She reckons he's a fun bloke to talk to," the Lupin boy half smiled. Well of course he was! Lily knew that.

"Mary suggested Detz… _fancies_ him." Lily stated, trying to not make a face.

"Could very well be! Loads of girls like Prongs." This statement bothered her for some reason.

"But he broke up with Parks not long ago! She should… respect that."

"Yeah. I don't think he's ready to get into another relationship yet, though, if that's what she's after," Remus vocalized. _Exactly, Detz!_, Lily thought, "But flirting never hurt anyone!"

"Nope," she affirmed, smiling forcefully. Well maybe Remus did not see the total inappropriateness of the situation and Cathy Detz herself. Could Lily only see?

Sirius, concerned with his own growing development with Jeena Armstrong, surely noticed James and one Hufflepuff witch. The best friends spoke about it the same night Remus was patrolling the castle with Lily when they were surprisingly alone in their room; Frank was with Alice and Peter was down in the common room because that is where Dorcas was.

"Catherine Detz, eh?," Sirius began, smirking, "Is she your new hobby?" James laughed once from his position sitting on the window sill.

"Actually, I think I'm hers," he said, grinning some.

"She's cute…"

"All girls I talk to are."

"Didn't know you would recover so quickly from Parks! Looking to replace her?" Sirius uttered.

"Oh Godric, no! No," James answered, shaking his head, "Not even thinking about it. But I'm not going to deny a friendly, good looking girl the pleasure of speaking to me if that's what she wants!"

"You charming man, you!"

"Takes one to know one, my friend."

"So will this continue into seventh year?" the Black boy posited. The captain shrugged as he stretched his arms.

"Who knows. Maybe. Time will tell—I'm merely taking each day as it comes." James noted.

"As you should," the other pureblood smiled, "Look—I've been thinking about something."

"What?"

"Wormtail, and his problem."

"What problem?" smiled James.

"His problem with girls! Prongs, he's 17 and never been kissed—what the hell? He needs help." Sirius mentioned animatedly. The Potter boy chuckled.

"Well he fancies Dorcas!"

"Yes, and that's wicked, but he's not doing anything about it! So, I reckon we have to help him. Again."

"How, exactly?," the captain wondered, "Push him onto Dorcas' face?" This time Sirius laughed.

"Maybe not Meadowes but _some_ girl. We should make it our mission this summer to get that bloke kissed, Muggle or witch! Let us not discriminate but strive to aid our friend! What say you? Will you accept the quest?" he relayed, switching to medieval English halfway through speaking. James was watching Sirius with his hands on his knees, highly amused.

"You're right, Padfoot. Peter _does_ need our help! He's 17 for Merlin's sake! So, yes! This mission is a go!" the Chaser exclaimed.

"Excellent! We should name it."

"Right."

"What about… operation rat tail?" Sirius proposed.

"Hmm. Too obvious it's about him, I reckon. Operation…" James remarked.

"GOMS! Get our mate snogged!"

"That's perfect!" the Potter boy chortled.

"It's settled, then. Once we're out of school in a few days, Operation GOMS goes into effect!" Sirius smiled mischievously.

* * *

Everything for the term was done. All homework and essays had been turned in, all projects and exams completed, and the seventh years made it through their NEWTs without dying. It was Tuesday the 18th and the Hogwarts Express would arrive to the Hogsmeade station in two days time to take students home. The End of the Year Feast had occurred earlier that evening and the House Cup had been awarded to an extremely ecstatic table of Hufflepuffs as yellow and black decorations erupted in the Great Hall. Gryffindor, satisfied with its Quidditch Cup, was happy for the badgers as was Ravenclaw, but Slytherin was noticeably disgruntled the Cup had gone to what it thought as the weakest House. The feast had not been all smiles, however, as the headmaster reminded them of the dangers of Voldemort and his followers, and how important safety and intuition were.

"I wish to have every single one of you return in September," he bid.

As it was now, Lily sat by herself on a sofa staring moodily into the bare fireplace, cross legged with no shoes on. The common room was almost vacant due to the late hour and the fact that all of the food consumed at the feast had made the kids full and sleepy, but there were a few risk takers still out and about in the castle. James was one of these few and he was assumedly with Cathy Detz—Cathy bloody Detz. Lily had seen the witch approach James after dinner ended, beaming from the acquisition of the Cup, and the two had left the hall together laughing at something. And what was more, the red head was quite certain he had not been back to the tower since then; that had been hours ago! Their mutual friends had been so wrapped up in their own affairs that night they had not appeared to notice or care but she definitely did. After everyone had gone to their dormitories or to see other students, and after she had pointedly said to Paul "You're cool and I know you may like me, but it will not work out, okay? I'm sorry", she took up residence on the couch. Lily had yet to move, being consumed by her numerous, grumpy thoughts.

_Paul, being pushy…, _she ruminated, _I do feel badly but I had to finally just say it! It's not going to happen! Not interested. But I am interested to know what on Earth James could be doing with Detz for _this _long. He doesn't even know her! Why doesn't she just leave him alone? Doesn't she get it! And not only that, but _why _has James been in my dreams lately? What the hell is going on with that! I've _never_ dreamt about him before, ever, so why would my brain choose to start now?_

Autumn, who had been keeping Lily company, suddenly began meowing. She looked around for her pet and saw the young cat jogging towards the opening portrait hole—someone was entering. The someone turned out to be James Potter, and he was whistling with his right hand in his pant pocket. He looked entirely at ease with his sleeves pushed up, tie undone, and carrying his school robes over his shoulder in his left hand.

"Hey—Autumn!" he mentioned jovially, seeing her prance up to him.

Lily looked at him and her initial reaction was "Finally!" as her arms slowly started to unfold.

"Ms. Evans!" James hailed as he spotted her on the couch, sounding happy. Consequently, the sound of him addressing her filled the girl with major annoyance for some reason and she peered deliberately back at the hearth as he strolled over to her.

"All right Lily?" the Chaser asked when he had plopped down on the sofa as well. He had set his robes on the back of the couch and was peering at her with the lopsided grin of his, and this too made the red head feel anger; as a result, she did not reply and simply made a noise.

Autumn jumped on the sofa in between them as he tried again.

"What're you doing down here by yourself?" James inquired, petting the cat.

"Thinking." Lily curtly notified, arms crossed once more. He was much too comfortable in her opinion.

"Ah. And here I was thinking how kind you were to wait up for me!"

The Muggleborn scoffed overtly at his joke. She had _not_ stayed up waiting for him! She had merely been bogged down by thoughts… of lots of things!

"No? I reckon I was wrong, then," he half smiled.

"Obviously," she mentioned bluntly. James gazed at her as his brow began to furrow in confusion.

"Are you okay Lily?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, it seems like you're being short with me. And…" he said.

"And what? I'm not giving you the answers you want?" she finished roughly, looking at him for the first time. The Potter boy simply stared at her, all the joy now completely gone from his countenance to be replaced by seriousness.

"Are you sure you're fine? Something seems wrong." James attested.

"Nothing's wrong!" Lily asserted.

"Then why are you acting like this?"

"Like _what_! Not falling at your feet, smiling at every word that comes from your mouth? I'm sorry but I didn't know that was required!"

James' face was now showing anger and disbelief and Lily could plainly see it.

"So I walk into the common room, try to talk to you, and have my head ripped off for no reason… but nothing's wrong. Yeah, makes total sense," he gruffly commented.

"Did you think I just don't feel like talking?" she snapped.

"Then you could've told me that from the go, and maybe with some respect!"

"Oh, Potter wants respect! What a _surprise_!"

The prefect had gotten to her feet at this last statement, not wanting to be that near to him any longer. His mouth dropped open and he gawked at her before heatedly jumping up himself.

"What is _with _you!" James demanded, throwing his arms out. She had just called him 'Potter'! That had not happened in months.

"I told you!—" Lily hotly commenced.

"Yeah yeah—nothing's the matter! But yet you're still acting like an absolute slag!"

The witch's eyes instantly flashed and she balled her fists.

"I'm a slag?" she wondered in a dangerously quiet voice.

"No, you're _acting_ like—" he hastened to say.

"How DARE you! You're resorting to name calling? Geez! It's the old Potter back in the flesh!"

"Yeah? Well he's joined by the old Lily—lashing out just to get her jollies!" James shouted, red in the face. The pair had not fought like this in a long time and it scared the Potter boy because he did not want to revert to their previous stance due to one conversation, especially when he did not know the true cause of it all. His last comment had been out of pure desperation.

The few remaining Gryffindors in the common room had now all stealthily left the area, retreating to their dormitories for safety when they realized that Lily Evans and James Potter were fighting. They knew from experience they did not want to be anywhere in the vicinity when the battle was underway.

"My _jollies_?" she posited.

"Yes! Acting like a cow just because you can, because you like ruining people's good time!" he retorted.

"Oh, so I'm a cow now!"

"Can you hear? I've been saying 'acting like'!"

"UGH! I'm _done_! You've ruined my night, thank you!," Lily exploded, "And you want respect? Go back to bloody Detz for it 'cause I'm not giving you _anything_! You twit!"

Something suddenly hit the captain and all feelings evaporated.

"Cathy?..." he murmured, gazing at her.

"You haven't changed at all! Thinking everything you do is ruddy brilliant, insulting people, flirting with anything that has a _nose_—why anyone even tolerates you, I'll never know!"

Lily had commenced walking stormily to the girls' staircase, appearing livid and continuing to rant as she put distance between them.

"Lily, wait!" the captain called.

"Piss off!"

She did not get far, however. James initially stared at her with a slightly open mouth as his brain went into cognitive overdrive at her words, but in the following seconds he jolted into action and rushed after her; he reached the red head in a few, long strides.

"Damn it, Evans!" he growled, grabbing her left arm.

James whirled Lily around to face him and, with his hold still on her forearm, he threw an arm around her back before crashing his lips into hers.

It took Lily a moment to register what was happening: that James Potter was kissing her fiercely. Consequently, once the situation was fully processed in her mind, the Muggleborn responded immediately. Standing on the tip of her toes and throwing both arms around his neck, Lily kissed him back with as much gusto. This move of hers, the acceptance of his brash decision and participation in it, made James feel as he had never before; he was high on frenzied joy, shock, and power. He was kissing Lily Evans and she was letting him.

The two stayed in that position for a stint of time—James' hands roving Lily's back and her arms wrapped around his neck as their mouths stayed stubbornly connected. Conversely, things changed when he finally pulled away for a second to get some air, and when he went back in he gave her two, swift kisses before his tongue pushed its way into her mouth. The prefect moaned involuntarily as she felt his tongue sidle against hers and pleasure shot all through her body. Lily's noise was all the encouragement James needed and his hands sped down to securely grip her waist while she ensnared his neck even tighter as their kisses deepened, wanting him to be closer.

Not too long after this the captain quickly turned them around and started clumsily walking them back in the direction of the couch, lips still greedily attacking each other. Lily had to let him guide since she could not see behind her and was much too focused on how his hands groping the skin underneath her shirt was driving her wild. The pair stumbled a couple times but neither truly cared, and when they were in front of the sofa again James made to place her on it first but the witch had decided he had taken enough charge. This time she was the one to turn them around and she forced him to sit down first, which surprised the Potter boy a bit yet made him want her even more. James' chest heaved as he watched Lily prepare to sit in his lap, and once she was there their intense kissing resumed, with her hands possessively holding his face and his running up and down her left thigh.

It was surreal and chalk full of emotion. Their tongues dueled, hands roamed everywhere, and breathing was hitched; Lily was also able to freely play with his unruly hair and found that it was very soft, to her delight. At one point when James' lips were throbbing from so much activity, he tore them away from her mouth and began passionately placing small kisses on her neck.

"_Merlin_. What are you doing to me?" he asked in a gravelly voice, right at the base of her throat. His voice made her inhale as her eyes dazedly closed halfway. Lily thought _she_ should be asking that question…

James then began sucking on her lower neck and the witch could not contain the sensual sigh that escaped her lips as she languidly stroked his hair. However, in the following moments, everything changed for Lily and it came in the form of a scent. It slowly wafted its way into her awareness at first but did not take long before it wholly engulfed her, and began to reintroduce clarity to her mind. It… it was coming from James… it _was_ James—it was his distinctive aroma. The red head's brain then began to place it and she recalled first truly noticing it the night of his birthday catastrophe, when they had been close much of the night. But there was another time, a time even before April, when his smell had fully assaulted her senses, and, it was… was…

Lily felt her heart stop as she remembered.

…

_"Lily, if you would be so kind as to describe what you perceive? I know it is quite personal…" Slughorn prompted in his Potions classroom. All sets of eyes fell on her and she had the urge to blush._

_"Erm, o-okay," she uttered, unsure, "I smell… rain, warm bread, a-a garden, and… I, uh… I don't know. I don't know what the other smell is. But it's there…" She seemed perplexed. What was this other scent in her Amortentia?_

_"It will make itself known, I'm sure," the professor kindly said, "And now there is two minutes before we depart! Send your vials to my desk and have a smashing Valentine's Day!"_

…

Oh dear God—her Amortentia, back in February… she had been able to identify all of the components, except one. She had not known what it was and it mystified her! The missing scent, the one Lily could not name!... She gaped at the oblivious boy sucking on her neck and was hit full on by the aroma again.

Oh. Dear. God. It was James. James was the missing scent.

Lily felt like she had been hit by a car as she started to panic. How could it be him? _Why_ was it him? She put her hands on his shoulders and pried the two apart as she gawked at him in total befuddlement, only to see that James' eyes were the deepest brown she had ever seen them. This caused a chill to run down her spine.

"What? What's wrong?" he inquired, sounding like he had been running vigorously. He noticed the look on her face and studied it.

"I… I-I…" the prefect stuttered. What could she say? James was the _scent_! For all that was holy!

"Lily—what is it?"

"This… you—"

She untangled herself from him and pushed his hands down to the side, continuing to stare at him desperately. Worry and fear began consume the Potter boy as he furrowed his brow and witnessed the change in her demeanor. He was losing her… did she regret what they had been doing?

"Lily, please." James commenced carefully, watching her stand right before him. He was now extremely tense.

"This can't, t-this was," Lily stammered, wringing her hands, "I… oh, hell! I can't James, I'm sorry!"

The Muggleborn then turned to the right and began running for the girls' staircase.

"Lily!" he shouted, jumping up and making to go after her.

His heart had just fallen to the floor, after being so amazingly high, but his pursuit of the witch was short lived. James was not too far beyond the sofa when he stopped in his tracks, realizing he could not ascend the steps so what was the point? (And with how quickly Lily was moving he would not reach her before she reached the stairs). Instead, the captain watched her rush up the steps and not look back once, her feet housed in white socks, red hair whipping behind her, and cat trailing her path obediently. Once she was out of sight James clenched his teeth, balled his fists and turned around to repeatedly kick the couch, snarling out curse words. She had actually recoiled, after minutes of physical bliss, and it just _killed_ him. Why. He needed to know why. Why had Lily given into his kisses so hungrily and then pulled away as though in horror? James needed answers and knew it would be a sleepless night.

* * *

Lily refused to leave her room the succeeding day and told her friends she was feeling "a bit under the weather" when they asked. They brought her back food from the various meals but did not spend too much time in her company because she was not very talkative and it was a beautiful day without classes, which meant roaming the castle. The prefect was grateful for this, conversely, and stayed rooted on her bed, mindlessly watching Autumn attempt to seize Alice's Puffskein, Sasha. (The cat was terribly unsuccessful in her endeavor as Sasha was housed in a tank whenever her owner was not present). Simply put, Lily could not risk seeing James. All she could think about was the previous night: how she had unfairly given him attitude upon his return, how he had unexpectedly kissed her and she eagerly responded, and how she identified his smell belonging to her Amortentia.

Lily could not understand what had driven her to kiss James back or why he was associated with her perception of love potion. She had always envisioned mercilessly hexing him if he ever tried to put his lips on hers, but that had been earlier in their history when she still thought he was an obnoxious idiot. Yet their friendship was not a reasonable factor as to why she gave into it because she had other friends whom she liked that she did not wantonly kiss! Perhaps their argument had been so heatedly charged that Lily merely got caught in the moment snogged him without thinking. That made some sense, and moments could be long… but why had anger turned into kissing? There _was_ the explanation that she had subconsciously wanted to make out with him but that could not be the case because the question still remained why. Why would she want to kiss James?

_Maybe you_—

_No, don't even go there_, she harshly scolded. All right… well maybe a part of Lily found him physically attractive and that was the reason. If the Muggleborn was truthful with herself she _had_ never thought James as ugly or unappealing. He was tall, in shape due to Quidditch, had a pleasing, thin face, a nice smile (that was particularly lopsided), a tiny dimple in only his left cheek… numerous girls thought he was cute! So maybe Lily was one of them—that could explain her act of snogging him readily. So, if she assumed her first concern about making out with James could be attributed to teenage hormones and a purely physical attraction, which did make her feel a pinch relieved, what was the explanation for her second concern? This is what had caused her brain to reel, after all; what in the world was he doing in her Amortentia? Lily could not fathom it and thinking about it for extended periods frightened her sufficiently. Maybe her nose and brain were simply defected, which would be sad but logical.

And, of course, there were the times during that day that the Evans girl would occasionally stop thinking so much and simply remember the preceding night. How _good_ it felt kissing James—how mind boggling, how heady, how effortless. How her entire body felt like it was both on fire and jello-like at the same time, how sounds had come from her no one else had ever elicited. Lily was in something of a trance when she recalled these sensations but it always ended with her wondering how on Earth she could look him in the face again.

The Marauders' Map was like James' shadow that day and he was resolutely focused, blocking out the world happening around him. After a silent breakfast (at least for him) in which he noticed Lily was missing, he took up camp in the common room with two books, a set of wizarding cards, and the Map. His plan was to stay down there, watch the Map, and wait for the red head to appear while he intermittently kept himself busy with the reading materials and cards. He denied spending time with his roommates in the castle and on the grounds and, while they found his behavior oddly reclusive, they laughed it off and enjoyed the last day at school without him or much concern. He ate meals with them but that was it. Simply put, James could not risk missing Lily. All he could think about was the previous night: how she had been snippy with him for no good reason when he came back, how they had argued as a result, and how he had blindly kissed her and she returned it.

James did not truly understand what had pushed him to kiss Lily in the first place or why she had pulled away so forcefully after a point. He had always envisioned and dreamt of the day he would be able to taste her lips, yet thought it would have to be quick and stolen, but that had been earlier in their history when she still saw him as a complete toerag. Conversely, never had James thought kissing Lily would come right in the wake of a scorching fight or that she would respond so willingly. Why had he done it? Perhaps seeing her storm away had been too much, especially since he did not know what he had done to piss her off to that degree. So his answer had been to snog her, although she had been angry and thus liable to attack him… that did not make much sense. There _was_ the possibility that he had subconsciously known making out with her would solve the problem but that seemed presumptuous because it indicated there was a chance Lily liked him.

_Oh mercy—it's all I want!_

Lily _had_ mentioned Cathy Detz while yelling at him, as well as his habit of habitually flirting (which James did not agree with). Why would the red head bring that up unless it bothered her, and why would it bother her unless she was, dare he think it… jealous? Maybe this possibility had given him the boost to kiss Lily—the chance that she was jealous of Cathy Detz. Maybe James snogging her passionately was the way to show her she had nothing to be jealous of and she was the one he wanted, the one he had always wanted. And of course having her return every kiss for kiss, every caress for caress had been nothing short of bliss; one of his deepest wishes coming to fruition after so long! He _still_ could not partially believe she had returned his affection… which caused him to fervently question why Lily had run away from him. Why on Earth had she halted everything, and so suddenly, with that look of terror on her face? Thinking about it was driving James insane but it consumed him because there were many reasons as to why, and he knew the more negative ones (the ones that involved her rejection) had the potential to crush his soul.

Of course, when the Potter boy stopped thinking so much about the situation and merely remembered what had happened, it was like being in a trance. The sensation of kissing Lily—how frighteningly terrific it felt, how he had never wanted it to end, how he could not fathom having anyone else after having her. James had placed all of his fragile hopes, dreams and desires regarding Lily in the ultimate moment of being able to kiss her, and last night they had seemed so vehemently real. Four years… four years of harboring intense feelings for the girl, of being at the mercy of her smile, laugh, gaze, and voice, and he would _not_ give up now. During the period of the Marauders' rift earlier in the year, James had told her that he and Sirius had only been in one other major fight during their friendship. He had lied. The spat he mentioned to Lily happened in third year and was short lived—overnight, like he had said, and the captain truthfully did not recall the subject of it. The second fight, however, was during second term of their fourth year and was about Lily.

* * *

A/N: So! It finally happened, readers! Wa ha ha ha ha! Lily and James have crossed a line from which they cannot return and it only took 36 chapters! **:P**

I ended this chapter rather cliffy, I know, and the next one will begin with a flashback of James and Sirius' second major fight, which was about Lily. I will return in a fortnight!


	37. Evans Mania

A/N: You know, when I was younger I hated Peter Pettigrew quite a bit, but now that I'm writing a story involving him, I've come to not hate him anymore. Don't get me wrong—I don't like him (I'm indifferent towards him, actually) and of course it was abysmal and cowardly what he did; however, I've realized people are complex and I think there were lots of factors that made him join Voldemort. Anyway, it's just funny (and probably beneficial) how feelings can change with age… if I felt the same way I felt about things when I was younger, I'd be screwed, lol.

But moving on! Gratitude goes to _imjustme, , AshleyM, MedzR3, s, _and _wee ginge_! To _wee ginge + Ashley_: sorry this fic has gotten in the way of your exams, lol.

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 37**

…

_Sirius sat on the edge of his bed, listening to Frank and Remus discuss the chances of the Magpies making it to the Quidditch World Final. He was adding input but occasionally got vested in his own thoughts, which were revolving around his family. Regulus had gotten into a scuffle with a year older Hufflepuff a few days back that landed him in the Hospital Wing for a few hours; it was nothing serious and the Black boy had been the aggressor (due to peer pressure), but the Black parents had written Sirius an exceptionally cruel letter, chastising him for not caring enough for his brother. The Gryffindor had not shared the letter with his friends as of yet, albeit Remus. He had tried to approach his best friend and talk to him about it but James lately, recently, had been in his own world and not wholly receptive to his friends. The Black boy hated that the letter was still on his mind._

"_No way! Blige is a rubbish Chaser—_rubbish!," _Remus told Frank, shaking his head, "He'd hold the team back!"_

"_He scored ten goals last match, and they only had 12 total! That's rubbish to you?" the Longbottom boy replied._

"_Everyone has one good game, Frank." Sirius interjected, sighing and musing his hair, attempting to rid of his stupor. Remus laughed once while Frank frowned stubbornly._

_The door to their room then opened and Peter and James walked inside, causing the other three to look at them._

"_Jamesy!" Sirius remarked, brightening up._

"_Perfect—a Quidditch enthusiast! He'll tell you, Frank." Remus attested._

"_Not now," the Potter boy responded through gritted teeth, going to his four poster. His roommates appeared surprised._

"_What's… what's up?" Frank questioned, peering between the new arrivals. Remus and Sirius did the same._

"_Er… he ran into Evans…" Peter revealed, grimacing a bit._

"Oh_."_

"_Didn't go well, I reckon." Remus sympathized. Sirius' shoulders sagged as he looked at his best friend and saw that his arms were crossed defiantly and he looked frustrated. Wonderful. He was angry, once again, because of a certain red headed witch._

"_I was _happy _to see her—waited for her after dinner just so I could say something—and she called me a bullying git! An _arse_!" James relayed, irritated._

"_She did?"the Lupin boy asked. Peter nodded._

"_Yes! She was with Waite and Marlene in the common room so I walked over to them and said hello. Marlene mentioned how well I performed in Transfiguration earlier so I got a couch pillow to show Evans—them—how I did it! I told them it was easy and asked Evans if she thought I was good too—told her she could say it if she thought so."_

"_She said 'not especially'." Peter alerted._

"_Yeah! It made me lose my focus, a-and the bloody thing turned back into a pillow! Then some stupid second year walked by and _laughed _at me—I heard the bugger! I told him I was the one who should be laughing since he hardly knows enough magic to wipe the boogies from his nose, and to sod off! The girls got upset and then Evans yelled at me, saying he was only 12 and I was being a bullying git; she called me an arse and walked off!" James reported._

"_Oh James," stated Remus, frowning._

"_Tell me what _I _did wrong! That second year was the rude one! Why did Evans have to get on me? I just wanted to impress her." _

_Frank started to say something at the same time Sirius mumbled and the latter caught James' attention._

"_What?" the Chaser questioned, looking at him. Sirius peered up and noticed more than one pair of eyes on him._

"_I said, again with the Evans mania."_

"_What is that supposed to mean?"_

"_It means once again we're listening to you go on and on about Evans."_

"_And?" James prompted. There was a bite in his tone. A challenge._

"_And it's always the same—you do something, she rebuffs you, you tell us. It never changes." Sirius alerted._

"_I didn't know it was a problem for you."_

"_Not a problem. It's just… getting old. Same quill, different day," he remarked, picking at his nails and shrugging. James was studying him with a hard look on his face and the others seemed tense._

"_Yeah? Well thanks for letting me know; I'll make sure I don't burden you with this again!" the Potter boy said sharply._

"_Small miracles." Sirius smirked. Peter glanced at Remus but the situation elevated in the next moment._

"_What the hell is your problem!" James snapped, glaring. The Black boy peered at him and his own countenance became stony._

"My_ problem? I'm not the one obsessed with Lily Evans!" Sirius answered, using a hand to gesture._

"_I'm not obsessed—I _fancy_ her, you dolt!"_

"_Well whatever you want to call it, it seems useless. Pointless."_

"_It's _not_!" James heatedly shouted._

"_No? Even though she can't stand you? Even though she never wants to be around you? Even though she always complains about you?" Sirius pushed._

"_Shut up."_

"_Why James? Because you don't want to hear the truth? That it's bloody stupid liking a girl who wants nothing to do with you?"_

"_Stop talking," snarled James. He was on his feet and facing his best friend. Sirius had jumped to his feet as well, anger pumping through his veins. _

_He did not know when the conversation had become so personal, when the goal had become to hurt with words, but he was not backing down. He was upset and he wanted to channel this pain to James. He had not been there for his friends as of late because he was so wrapped around Evans and it stung Sirius._

"_No. I have to listen to you _whine_ about Evans all the damn time so you can listen to me," the Black boy spat._

"_Sirius! James!" Remus called out, rooted in his spot from shock._

"_I swear, Sirius—" James menacingly started._

"_Getting defensive over her, or is that your bruised ego?," Sirius continued, " Maybe you _have_ realized that Evans will never want you… good. No more pathetic rants."_

_James shoved Sirius without warning. Their dorm mates cried out as Sirius roughly threw an arm around the Potter boy's neck and, in the next instance, the two were thrashing violently on the floor. This was not the playful, boisterous wrestling the pair had so often engaged in during first and second year; they were striving to hurt each other. Frank and Remus ran to them in order to pull them apart, with the former grabbing Sirius and the latter restraining James._

_The boys did not speak for a week after their fight. Their anger only lasted until the end of the second day and after that was bitterness and hurt. Sirius was hurt that James was too preoccupied with a girl to notice when he was ignoring his friends and James was hurt that his best friend had said all those cruel things (and feared them being true). Conversely, when the week was through and their bond caused them to drift back together, both apologized and the Black boy was able to show James the letter at last; the Potter boy quickly recognized his own folly. Sirius then confessed to intentionally using Lily as a soft spot because he knew it would work._

"_I really didn't mean what I told you—not a bit. Evans _will_ come around one day, mate, and see how wicked you are," he attested._

_James vowed to never be that out of touch with his friends' predicaments again and truly hoped Sirius' assertion about Lily would hold true._

…

It had taken years yet but it seemed as though Lily _had_ come around, but James could not be certain until he spoke to her and he refused to let that chance elude him.

When curfew came at 10PM that night the Quidditch captain was still perched in his spot in the lion common room. All of his Housemates were back and content from their free day and his dorm mates crowded around him.

"James, all _day_?" Frank grinned. Sirius laughed once.

"He hasn't moved since we woke up! Holed up in the tower for an entire day!" Peter chided.

"Not true. I ate all three meals!" James answered.

"Yes, in silence. Then you ran back here!" Sirius commented.

"Are you all right? Is everything okay?" Remus wondered with a concerned smile.

"Yeah, you've been here all day like a nutter. Have you at least used the loo?" (Peter sniggered at this).

"I'm… fine. Just loads of things on my mind." James murmured, studying the Map. He did not know why he kept looking—it was not going to change at this point. Lily had not once left her room during the time he had watched the parchment.

"If you say so!" shrugged Frank.

"Just know you can only blame yourself for wasting a perfectly good day with the Marauders." Peter notified.

"I'm not a Marauder."

"You're honorary, Longbottom." Sirius responded. Remus grinned.

"Hello boys! Didn't see much of you today!" a female voice then announced. The five turned and saw Alice & Marlene, both wearing smiles.

"I know." Frank replied, grabbing his girlfriend's hand and pulling her to him for a kiss; she happily obliged.

"How was your day Ms. McKinnon?" Sirius inquired.

"Fun," she lightly smiled, "Spent it with the girls and Bruce."

James looked up, sensing an opening to mention Lily, but another spoke first.

"Where's, er, Dorcas? And Mary?" Peter posited.

"Upstairs with Lily. She's been ill all day; hasn't left the room." Alice relayed.

"On the last day too—a shame," said Sirius. The captain's eyes narrowed.

Ill? She was ill? Odd—last night when they had been assaulting each other with desperate kisses Lily had not seemed the least bit sick…. So it appeared as though the Muggleborn had hidden away upstairs the whole day in order to avoid James. Something inside of him stirred. Well, if she wanted to go this route then he would only double his efforts in seeking her out tomorrow on the way home, and he did not think she would be as crafty or successful as today.

James suddenly felt in need of reckless mischief and firewhiskey, if possible.

"Mates, I have an idea," he declared, getting to his feet. He had everyone's attention.

"He lives!" Sirius exclaimed.

"It's the last day of sixth year and I've wasted it. I need to make up for it: tonight."

Peter grinned excitedly as a sly, satisfied smirk crept on the Black boy's face.

"Sounds like trouble, and a job meant for four specific Gryffindors," smiled Frank.

"Most definitely, which means I can catch up with you!" Alice answered, holding his hand. He kissed her cheek.

"I think that's my signal to go upstairs." Marlene uttered, giggling once.

"So what do you have in mind, Mr. Potter?" Sirius asked when the Marauders were surrounding each other.

"The Room, the Cloak, disregarding curfew, and getting sloshed. We can fill in the blanks ourselves." James alerted.

"Sloshed!" Remus repeated, surprised, as Peter laughed approvingly.

"It sounds divine," assured Sirius, grinning.

"I'll go get the Cloak!" the Pettigrew boy volunteered. With a nod from James he went to hastily fetch it.

"Alcohol?" the Lupin boy pondered, looking between the two.

"Why not? We're all of age now," noted Sirius, putting a hand on Remus' shoulder, "And you surely need some. Lovely way to put this year to rest!"

"Now, we just have to get some… anyone up for sneaking into Slughorn's office?" James vocalized. Remus' head sank into his right hand.

Tonight would be a lively and splendid way to temporarily take his mind off Lily and the hold she had on him.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express was leaving at 9AM so it was an early start for all of the students. Lily was once again missing when the boys at breakfast at 7:30 and James knew his first chance at cornering her would come when everyone was outside waiting for the carriages. Consequently, the witch also realized this was an obvious opportunity to see the Potter boy and convinced her friends to not only go wait for the carriages early (so they could hop in one the instance they came), but to wait in an area that was mostly hidden. They did not seem to mind or question the red head's request.

"Alice, where are the girls?" James questioned with furrowed brows, searching the sea of kids for the sixth year Gryffindor witches. The carriages were pulling up and he had yet to see the four girls since waiting outside.

"I'm not sure, really. They knew I was riding with Frank so I haven't seen them for awhile, definitely not since we left the castle," she replied. She was clustered together with Frank and his roommates.

"Is Lily doing better?" Remus pondered.

"Yes. She seemed fine this morning."

James glanced at her as Marlene came bounding up to the six of them.

"Now that the carriages are here I'm going to get Bruce, shall I?" she vocalized, peering at Alice and Frank.

"Of course," the Waite girl consented.

"Bowyer? For what?" Sirius muttered to Frank while Marlene promised to be right back.

"We're sitting with them to make four," the Longbottom boy answered. The other wizard rolled his eyes.

Lily, Mary and Dorcas got into a carriage shortly after Marlene left them and the Evans girl was glad another attempt of alluding worked out, but she knew the hardest one had yet to come. How was she going to keep out of his path on the train? It was an hours long journey and seemed nearly impossible. Lily knew she could not sit with her friends on the ride home; it was out of the question since they shared friends and the two groups were constantly in each other's compartments. She initially found hope in sitting in the prefects' car but then remembered James, as Quidditch captain, had access there and would likely come search for her. The Muggleborn thought of a solution the entire trip to the station and sullenly wished she had an Invisibility Cloak to hide under. (There was an old rumor one of the Marauders had one and when the witches had asked Frank about it he claimed to not know).

"Listen," Lily commenced when the carriages were pulling into the station and the train could be seen, "I… I don't think I'm going to sit with you girls today."

"Why not?" Mary questioned while Dorcas appeared surprised.

"I, uh, want to spend the time with Melody Britches since it's the last time I'll really see her."

"All right. But… the whole ride?" Dorcas responded.

"Yeah."

"Whatever you want, Evans."

Lily had a time trying to hide herself on the platform without coming off as jumpy or eccentric or raising inquiries from her roommates. She sought out the Head Girl in order to merge with her retinue and she found her, but not before the rest of their House's year found them.

"There you three are!" Alice stated walking with Marlene, their boyfriends at their sides. Lily began to feel frantic when she saw the Marauders walking behind them; she thought her heart stopped.

"I-I see Melody! See you!" the prefect near squeaked, eyes on James before she hurriedly took off in another direction.

"Lily!" called Marlene. James' head shot up and he viewed her rushing away, instantly starting and thinking of going after her. He reasoned, however, it would be better to catch her on the Express and he had plenty of hours in which to do it.

"Melody!" the red head remarked once she had reached the Head Girl.

"Oy, Lily," the Hufflepuff smiled warmly, surrounded by her dorm mates.

"Would it be all right if I… sat, with you, for the ride?"

"Oh, of course! No problem! Right, girls?"

"Yeah, sure!" a witch nodded.

"Excellent." Lily commented as they began to board the locomotive.

"We normally sit towards the front." Melody notified well that was fine with the Evans girl because the Gryffindors had a propensity for sitting in the back.

It was about 30 minutes into the ride before the lion witches strolled into the wizards' compartment to mingle and James was not surprised with Lily's absence, assuming she had stayed behind in their chamber.

"Lily keeping your compartment safe guarded?" he inquired.

"Oh—she's not sitting with us." Marlene notified nonchalantly.

"She's _not_?"

"Nope. She's with the Head Girl. Said she wanted to give her a proper goodbye." Dorcas revealed, looking through her Chocolate Frog cards.

"It's weird thinking that the seventh years won't be coming back." Alice sighed.

Consequently, this was not the issues on James' mind; he was thinking how Lily was undoubtedly going out of her way to not come in contact with him. Sitting with an entirely different group of students? _Give Melody a proper goodbye my arse!_ he thought. She was apparently determined to keep away from him… but he was also determined, damn it. After the girls returned to their compartment James went to search for Lily, under the guise of going to spend time with Cathy Detz.

The captain looked in every chamber, and if the door's shade was pulled down he would knock to see the occupants inside. This method cause him to actually, inevitably, come across Cathy, and when she saw him she asked him to stay for a bit. James told her he really needed to find someone first but remarked he would come back later to visit (knowing he probably would not). When he reached the front cars of the Express he knew this was where Lily had to be, unless she was sitting on the train's roof. The compartment she shared with the Hufflepuffs happened to have its door shade up, and the red head was able to see the dark haired boy at a nearby compartment when she chanced a look outside from her seat. Panic immediately filled her bones.

"Oh no oh no oh no! It's him!" Lily exclaimed, darting out of her seat.

"Who?" an Arabian witch wondered.

"It's _James_! Oh no, oh no!"

"James Potter?" Melody questioned.

"Yes! I can't talk to him!" the Muggleborn responded.

"Why? Is… something wrong?" The Head Girl looked taken aback as the Gryffindor plopped herself on the other side of the chamber in the corner near the window. She hastily apologized to a strawberry-blonde girl who had to scoot over.

"No! Yes! I don't know! I just can't talk to him—please! Tell him I'm asleep! I've been asleep—please!"

"Er, o-okay!" consented Melody while her friends looked at one another, befuddled. Lily rapidly closed her eyes and slumped over a tad, and not too long after that there was a knock on the door.

"Let him in, I suppose; he can see us anyway," the Britches girl murmured. The Gryffindor did not know who got up to open the door but a moment later she heard James' voice and it caused her heart to race.

"Hello ladies," he bid. The Chaser received multiple, amicable greetings in response, including meows from Autumn who peered him from her bag.

"What brings you by, James?" Melody posited.

"_That_ one, in the corner over there."

Lily felt her entire body constrict and prayed to all that was good that she looked convincingly asleep. Was she sweating? Had she turned red?

"Oh, Lily… yes," the Head Girl said.

"She's actually been asleep," someone told him.

"This early?" James pondered. The prefect wanted to wince.

"Er, well, only for about a quarter of an hour now." Melody added.

"I see…"

"Is it something important?" a brunette questioned.

"No—just wanted to talk to her," he clarified.

"You can try again later," the strawberry-blonde suggested. _What_! Lily shouted in her head.

"Yes… do you want us to tell her you stopped by?" the Arabian girl offered. _I'm surrounded by traitors! Melody, your friends are _traitors_! They're not helping!_

"Nah. Something tells me she knows we have to talk," James replied. The red head simply knew he was looking at her while saying this, "Thanks anyway, girls. Cheers."

Lily waited at least 30 seconds before she pried her green eyes open, and when she did she saw all five witches gazing at her expectantly, sans the Potter boy.

"So… that was interesting." Melody spoke out, peering at her. Lily sighed heavily and looked at her lap.

James did not attempt to seek out Lily again after that but she continued to be notably anxious about facing him, which intensified when she had to patrol the train with Remus for their designated times. The Lupin boy observed that she seemed to be somewhat on edge and when he asked about her demeanor she stated that she was fine, but the first time they approached the car in which the Marauders sat Lily could not bring herself to cross the threshold.

"I can't do it Remus, I can't! Not this part of the train! I-I'll explain later, but just don't make me walk this part! I know it's odd!" she pleaded, looking at him helplessly.

Her request left him flabbergasted but he consented when he noticed how upset she appeared, and after that she waited whenever he patrolled that specific car by himself. Consequently, Remus reported her unusual behavior to the sixth years the next time the girls visited their compartment in hopes that her roommates had an answer; they did not.

"I don't know what's been going on with Lily these past couple days!" Alice remarked, seated next to Frank.

"I know! She's barely spoken yet says nothing's wrong." Mary added.

"Not to mention sitting with Melody Britches today," Dorcas commented, "I know they got on but…"

"Hmm," frowned Remus, "I hope she's all right."

"Yes. I'd hate to think it's one of us." Marlene noted. James had his arms folded as he narrowed his eyes slightly, though uttered nothing. _He_ had an inkling what was going on with their dorm mate…

When the Hogwarts Express pulled into its station at King's Cross and children piled out of it to greet their waiting family members and the upcoming summer break, Lily knew she had to find her friends in order to say goodbye. (She had given Melody her farewell and would truly miss the former Head Girl). She cautiously walked to where the students whom had sat in the back of the locomotive were gathered and searched for the four witches, hoping she did not find James Potter instead. Lily did see Sirius speaking to Jeena Armstrong off to the side and she watched them for a moment before someone gently grabbed her forearm.

"Have a good summer, Lily," the wizard said. She turned and saw Remus, relieved it was _this_ Marauder.

"Oh—Remus!," she started, "You too!" The Evans girl then pulled him into a hug which he returned.

"Hopefully I can owl you and tell you I've gotten Head Boy, and you'll reply that you're Head Girl!"

"I would love for that to happen." Lily attested, smiling.

"Well I'm going to say goodbye to Abby. I'll see you soon; take care!" the Lupin boy bid, waving.

"You as well Remus!"

When he was gone her attention was temporarily pulled back to Jeena and Sirius, whom were now kissing intimately. This caused recent memories featuring James to flood her mind so she immediately began looking for her friends again to stop them, but she did not have to look far.

"Lily! We thought you'd left!" Marlene exclaimed.

"No, not without saying goodbye first!" the prefect responded.

"Well I'm glad, because my father's already sending me impatient vibes!," Mary vocalized, "I'll miss you girls! Write to me—_please_!"

"Of course Mary," promised Dorcas as the Macdonald girl gave them all quick hugs.

"Boring summer without magic or Remus, here I come!"

They laughed as she hurried off to Mr. Macdonald and Marlene was the next to leave.

"I have to say goodbye to Bruce. Ugh, I'm going to miss him!" she alerted.

"Not as much as you'll miss us!" Dorcas huffed playfully.

"Obviously not! We have to meet up at least once, and I'll ask my parents about having you over in August."

"Perfect," smiled Lily.

"I'll be in touch! See you girls!" Marlene stated, giving them pecks on the cheek before going to find her boyfriend.

"Later McKinnon!" Dorcas uttered.

"Where's Alice?" the Muggleborn pondered, glancing around.

"With her future husband, of course. I _was _saying goodbye to them and James before _Detz _decided to appear and put on a show for him! 'We've only started talking and it's summer already'! Give me a break."

Lily peered at the Meadowes girl, a foreign emotion slowly beginning to fill her. This Cathy girl was with James?... _what_? Forgetting all about her wish to avoid the Potter boy, she commenced looking around the platform for him and the infuriatingly persistent Hufflepuff. Why would he even bother with Detz at this point; he had not snogged her wildly in the common room the other night! (At least Lily hoped he had not).

"I can see my mum and dad from over here, Lily," Dorcas started, stopping Lily from recognizing she had just experienced a pronounced stab of jealousy, "Are you going to find Alice?"

"Oh. Er…," she said, looking at her, "N-No—it's all right. I'll walk with you to my own parents."

Conversely, little to Lily's awareness, James had ceased speaking to Cathy and was now observing her talk with Dorcas. It was perfect: he finally had the opportunity to speak to her at long last and he did not want to let it slip.

"Well Jamesy, let's go!" Sirius suddenly hailed, clapping his best friend on the shoulder and catching him off guard.

"Wha-what?" the Potter boy stumbled, looking at the other pureblood.

"We've said goodbye to Moony and Wormy, most of the girls, and I just gave my own farewell to Jeena. Mum and Dad are waiting."

"But!" James quickly glanced back at Lily and Dorcas only to see that they were walking away. He gritted his teeth, took a step forward, and then cried out:

"Lily!"

She turned to see who had called her name and her gaze fell on James moments later. Multiple emotions overtook her countenance as they stared at one another, and the red head's mouth opened as though she were going to say something. However, after what felt like years and a split second simultaneously, she closed her eyes in sad defeat and rushed to face the other way. She simply could not do it.

"See you Sirius, James!" called Dorcas as she followed Lily.

"Wait!" James half yelled, taking steps forward.

"Have a good summer girls!" Sirius added loudly, oblivious to his friend's plight.

"Damn it!" the Chaser cursed when the witches were nearly out of sight.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I—she! Just now! It's!... ugh!... Nothing. Forget it."

"Prongs, are you okay? Really?" Sirius inquired, looking at him worriedly. The other wizard let out a heavy sigh, as if letting out steam.

"Yeah… or I will be. Let's just get to Mum and Dad, like you said." James commented in a low voice, reaching for his possessions.

"All right."

This was going to prove to be an extremely unordinary summer as far as James was concerned.

* * *

This was going to prove to be an extremely trying summer as far as Lily was concerned.

To begin with, her feelings and thoughts had never recovered from the night she kissed James Potter; they continued to be stubbornly jumbled. And what was more, he himself refused to leave her brain, as though taunting the Evans girl and making her feel badly for leaving things horribly unresolved. Wherever she went, whatever she did, whomever she was with—James stayed on her mind. Lily thought it would drive her insane and the one thing that essentially guaranteed she _would_ lose her mind came in the form of parchment; a week after she had been at home with her family, she received her first letter from the Quidditch captain.

When Lily saw the owl flying patiently outside her window that early afternoon she was initially happy to hear from someone in the wizarding world. She did not recognize the well-kept bird but that was not of much concern to her as it situated itself on the bed post while she took the letter. It was not until she began reading it that she was thoroughly floored.

_Lily—_

_It's been a week since we've been out of school and I can't think about anything but you. Can you blame me? After that mind blowing snog in the common room (which I didn't want to end) all I wanted was to talk to you, but I never got my chance. There's so much to say, Lily, and I have to get it out—need to get it out. We need to talk. I need to see you. I can't move past that night._

_Write me back about meeting up. It can be in Diagon Alley, Muggle London—wherever. I don't care as long you come. _

_James_

The prefect's heart hammered in her chest as she stared at his familiar handwriting. He had _written_ to her. Of course she could not blame him—she would have likely done the same thing if in his position. But he was asking to meet her, stated she was also invading his thoughts as he was hers. Could she give in to his proposition?

"I… I'm sorry! I don't have a reply for him, not now! I can't!" Lily told the owl wretchedly, holding the parchment tightly. It peered at her dolefully before hooting once and flying back out the window. The witch sighed as she set the message on her desk, thinking she had been doing a lot of apologizing ever since kissing James. She also dejectedly wondered what was stopping her from reaching out to him...

In addition to her sticky predicament with a specific raven haired wizard, Lily knew the summer was going to be rough because of her sister's boyfriend. It was apparent Vernon Dursley was going to spend much of his free time of the season at the Evans' home in order to be with Petunia, and Lily discovered this on her second day home (much to her horror).

She had been out in the front yard with her mother and cat tending to the garden when an unnecessarily loud voice greeted them.

"Mrs. Evans! He_llo_!" it boomed. Both women looked up to see Vernon marching up to the house, smiling broadly and wearing a white polo shirt that was too tight for a man of his girth. Lily's stomach dropped.

"Oh, hello Vernon! How are you?" Janice politely answered.

"Just smashing! And—oh ho! I see _Lily_ has returned home for the summer, yes?" he remarked. Autumn walked up to him and began sniffing.

"Er, yes." Lily admitted.

"Two days ago, actually." Janice added. (Autumn gave Vernon a look of great disinterest and sauntered off).

"It's, uh, good to see you again, Vernon," the witch lied, holding up a hand and praying he would not try to shake it.

"Yes yes! Back home with your family! I hope you've spent the last couple months thinking about what to do with your life; you know, you were rather clueless in December." Vernon relayed. The red head gazed blankly at the large man.

"Vernon, why don't you go inside, dear? Petunia should be in the kitchen!" Mrs. Evans directed, waving at him.

"Right!" He smiled at the pair and then made his way into the house.

"Mum, am I going to have to put up with him all summer?" Lily posited fearfully, looking at her mother.

"Oh Lily, I hope it won't be too bad, and I hope not for your sake! But you know Petunia got out of university a week before you and he came three times that week; he said he wants to visit at least twice a week!" Janice explained, studying her daughter exasperatedly.

"What! Can't she visit him too?"

"She plans to, but he said he wants to be the 'proper man' and escort her."

"Oh good heavens!" Lily remarked, putting a hand on her forehead.

"I know, darling. We'll make sure it's as painless as possible for you, and like I said it won't be too bad!" assured Janice.

Yet it was that bad to Lily. Being caught in between James, her sister, and Vernon was going to kill her, she was sure of it. Petunia's boyfriend kept to his word of showing up twice a week, every week, and it was two times too many as far as the witch was concerned. Many times the couple spent their time only with each other and would even leave the house on an excursion, but there would also be times Lily would have to endure Vernon's company with her entire family at the Dursley man's insistence. She dreaded these times and would pretend to be sleeping or preoccupied in order to get out of spending hours with her sister's suitor, but this did not always work and she would then find herself having to put up with him.

On one such occasion in July, Lily received her second letter from James.

* * *

A/N: You probably want to egg my profile for Lily acting so elusive but it's a part of the plot and all that, haha. Not to worry! I think the next chapter will make you readers feel better about her feelings for James.

Also, I'd like to ask a favor of all you readers adding this story to your alerts/favorites list: would you be dolls and leave a review, letting me know what you think of the fic? It makes me smile and gives me motivation! I usually update every 2 weeks but I'm thinking I'll post in 10 days for chapter 38…


	38. I Don't Know

A/N: Sigh. So, I didn't post in ten days like I mentioned, and do you know why? I can tell you in a few words, readers: Las Vegas, fourth of July weekend, and extreme exhaustion. Lol. It was a goooood time celebrating my country's independence, ha ha. But! Now I am back and rearing to go! To make up for my delay, I made this chapter longer than the others (by about a page on Word). Thanks to _jimes90, Kiley109, Born2dance_!

_Bob: _I see your point about that. However, I get tired of saying 'James', 'Sirius', 'Lily' all the time so that's why I do that; not trying to be formal or anything.

_Aeiry: _Yes, I will have Severus interact with Lily again during their seventh year, but it will surely be one-sided! You'll see what I mean.

_AA: _I understand where you're coming from, I do. But I think if a girl disliked someone for many years and then found herself making out with that person one day, and enjoying it, she would be confused and alarmed and would respond a bit irrationally; she'd need some time, I think. But that's just my opinion…

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 38**

Lily had been pacing the kitchen in the late morning, sulking heavily for the anticipation of the day's event. She was dressed in jean shorts over a yellow one-piece swimsuit and her hair was in a full ponytail, a fitting ensemble for a day at the beach. She typically loved the beach, but not when she was going with Petunia, Vernon _and_ Petunia's best friend, Felicia; she was going to die.

"I'd rather spend a day in the Slytherin common room!" Lily mumbled, her arms folded as she paced around the table. A hoot then resounded and the witch swiftly looked around the kitchen, ceasing her walking. She saw the same owl that had been in her room two weeks prior lurking around the open window and it was bearing another slip of parchment.

"Oh!" she uttered, feeling her heart rate spike significantly. It was another letter from James, had to be…

"Lily!" her mother then called from another room. The red head inhaled at this and ran towards the window, feeling a bit of panic. The bird hooted again as she hastily took the message and grabbed a leftover piece of toast from breakfast on the counter, offering it.

"I'm sorry, again! I don't have time to reply to him! I've got to go soon!" the girl said in a rushed voice. The owl happily accepted the bread and flew off moments before Mrs. Evans entered the kitchen.

"There you are sweetheart!," Janice commenced, "You look so darling! Are you almost ready to leave?"

"Um, yeah! I'm ready." Lily responded, stuffing the letter in a back pocket.

"Good. Your father is loading up the car."

"Mum—_must_ I go?"

"Lily, I'm sure today will be enjoyable enough? You adore the beach!" Mrs. Evans said.

"Yes, but Felicia and Vernon? I may as well drown myself right now!," commented Lily, quietly, "I don't even know why he suggested we all go together."

"He thought it would be a good opportunity for everyone to get to know each other better, dear."

"We _do_ know him—he blurts out every single thing that pops into his head."

"Lily, you've been doing an admirable job being in his presence; all I ask is that you keep it up today." Janice noted, holding back a smile as she held her child's face.

"I can only promise you two hours," the red head attested.

"Mum? Mum, we're ready!" they heard Petunia announce, bounding down the stairs with her boyfriend and friend.

"In the kitchen, Petunia!" Mrs. Evans replied.

"Is Lily ready? I don't want her holding us back!"

"I wouldn't dream of it, _sis_." Lily replied sarcastically when the trio walked into the room.

Lily rode with her parents to the water and the letter was burning a hole in her back pocket. (The other three took Vernon's car). She could not bring herself to read it while in the vehicle but it dominated her thoughts, and she knew she would finally read it once on the sand. Would James express anger because she had not written a reply? Would he ask to see her again? Would she be able to respond to this letter?

"I say we all start off with a dip in the water!" Mr. Evans proposed when they had staked their claim on a spot of the beach.

"But of course!" Vernon agreed.

"Oh, Tuney—will you put sunblock on my back?" Felicia asked in her nasally voice. Lily glanced at the brunette shrewdly. She had never forgiven Felicia for stealing that nickname years ago and it still got under her skin when she heard the other girl say it, although Lily herself had stopped using it.

"What do you say, Lily?" Janice pondered, looking at her youngest daughter.

"I, er, I think I'll stay here. For now," the red head answered.

"Are you sure?" Oliver asked, sounding a tad disappointed.

"Yes, Dad. I'll watch our things."

"Let her! It's fine—she wants to." Petunia remarked, slathering sunscreen on her friend.

"All right. Join us when you're ready, love." Mrs. Evans commented.

"Does her condition keep her out of water?" Vernon questioned his girlfriend as the five of them walked toward the ocean.

"What condition?" Felicia wondered shrilly.

Lily sighed audibly upon hearing this. However, once the group was out of her sight, the witch tore the letter from her pocket and immediately began reading it.

_Lily—_

_I wrote you two weeks ago. I don't know if you got it because I didn't receive a reply, but something tells me you did because our owl's always spot on._

_You're still on my mind. I haven't spoken to you since that night in the common room and it's killing me; I _really _need to hear from you. If the fact that we snogged disgusts you, if you think I'm a creep because of it, anything—let me know! At least then I can talk to you and know how you feel. My desire to see you hasn't abated and if you're willing to meet up I'd be happy. Write me back._

_Waiting for my chance, _

_JP_

The Evans girl put the parchment down and stared out at the water. Not for the first time in her life, Lily found herself wondering where precisely James lived and what his house looked like. Was it a large home? Did it have anything Muggle inside? What did his room look like and had he written this message there? Lily felt both guilty and pleased that he had sent her another letter: guilty because her silence appeared to be making him notably anxious and pleased because he continued to think about her. She of course continued to think about him as well but she had not written to him yet… would that change because of his second letter? James seemed to be under the impression she was repulsed that they had made out but that was not it in the slightest; Lily was simply, simply… confused. She had not worked out all of her feelings regarding the Potter boy and there was still that _damned_ Amortentia, so until she did….

Lily trudged to the water 40 minutes later after the others had returned in order to enjoy it by herself. A boy around her age took notice of her and approached 20 minutes after she had first arrived. He introduced himself as Kenneth and seemed friendly enough, able to keep up flowing conversation while they stood knee deep in the water. Speaking to him was a decent distraction from thinking about James, but when Kenneth asked where she attended school and if she was seeing someone, it was back to square one. Lily carefully told him she went to a boarding school in Scotland, which was true, yet hesitated in answering the second inquiry. A certain wizard with glasses had popped into her mind for this although he had no reason to; they were certainly not going out despite their kissing, but the Muggleborn reasoned they were, technically, seeing each other. Lily _saw_ numerous people: Alice, Mary, Sirius, Peter, professors McGonagall and Sprout… that is what eyes were for! When she reported that she was in fact seeing someone, Kenneth took it as a sign of defeat and noted "he's a lucky guy" before taking his leave.

The red head went back to her troupe in the following minutes, wondering why she had essentially lied to that boy about being taken. Lily kept to herself half of the time while they were at the beach but would be pulled into interacting with everyone else, normally by her father, which went well, and by Vernon, which resulted in tension. After lunch had been consumed Mr. and Mrs. Evans encouraged and insisted their daughters play a game of beach soccer like they used to when they were younger, along with Felicia and Vernon. The Dursley man thought it was a splendid idea so they grudgingly agreed to play, with Petunia having her boyfriend as a teammate and Lily being paired with Felicia. If the 17 year old envisioned a terrible, nerve heckling, catastrophe of a game she was surprisingly wrong; the four of them had an actual good time playing, and for that half an hour, everything appeared to be good naturedly _normal _between them all. Lily had not felt at ease like this with her sister since the pre-Hogwarts days.

"We win, we win, we win!" Felicia chanted jovially when Lily kicked the ball past their drawn line in the sand, which served as the goalie's box.

"Ah!" Vernon uttered, having failed to stop it.

"Great job Lily! You two owe us ice cream, Tuney!"

"Fair is fair, I suppose."

Lily smiled as she jogged after the ball in order to retrieve it. When she had it and turned back around she saw her sister marching in her direction.

"Petunia—" the witch pleasantly commenced.

"I really hope you didn't do that on purpose," the blonde snipped, cutting her off.

"Wha… what?"

"Winning. I hope you didn't _cheat _just so you could win!"

"How could I cheat?" Lily inquired, no longer feeling uplifted.

"You're 17! I know that's the age where you can do your… _weirdness_ outside of school!," Petunia scathingly relayed, "And if you used it just to make me look bad in front of Vernon!"

The Gryffindor gazed angrily at her sibling, blinking in bitter disbelief. She suddenly felt very alone and was ready to be rid of this trip, of this day.

"You don't need my help for that!" she snapped, dropping the ball at their feet. Back to reality…

Two days later Lily received a letter from Marlene for which she was quite grateful. While she had been keeping mild correspondence with Mary through Muggle mail, this was her first letter from any of her roommates. (Dorcas happened to be vacationing with her parents in India for the first three weeks of July). Since James continued to meander in her brain on a daily basis she knew that she needed an outlet in which he could escape, and that meant finally telling her friends about their incident. Marlene's message asked if Lily would like to meet up sometime soon in London so the girls could see one another and the Muggleborn thought it was the perfect opportunity. She wrote back and suggested they go to Diagon Alley the subsequent week during the afternoon, and told her to invite Alice along since she had better access to reach her. And so, the succeeding week on July 19, Lily nervously prepared to Apparate next to the ice cream parlor in order to meet her dorm mates. This was her first trip using Apparition and she took a few minutes to mentally reassure herself before vanishing out of her bedroom with a POP.

When Lily opened her eyes again it was only to see that she was standing near a building wall drenched in sunshine. She then looked to the left and saw a dirty blonde and a brunette girl peering at her.

"Oy, Lily!" Alice cried, moving forward to hug her.

"You made it!" Marlene said while the red head returned the hug with a smile.

"I did! No Splinching!" she vocalized.

"I wish I could've Apparated." Alice notified.

"Did you, Marlene?"

"No. I've been here. Father, Ministry. Enough said," the McKinnon girl shrugged.

"Is Mitchell here too?" Lily wondered.

"Oh no. He's at home, flying of course."

"Well let's go inside now. Ice cream sounds divine!" the Waite girl commented.

Once they were seated and surrounded by the parlor's pastel yellow walls, Lily inquired what they had been doing thus far and how their boyfriends were. Marlene reported she had not been up to much while Alice said she had been spending lots of time with Frank's family at their home; Marlene did divulge that Bruce was coming to spend time with her once the girls went their separate ways.

"Well what about you, Lily?" Alice asked after their treats had been delivered.

"My summer has been… ergh," the Evans girl answered, frowning a tad.

"That smashing, eh?" Marlene chuckled.

"For one, Petunia's boyfriend has made it his mission to torture me by showing up at least twice a week and I'm made to endure it half the time! I missed lunch at a seafood restaurant this afternoon because I was set to see you girls, thank goodness…"

"Well that's no good," noted Alice, grimacing.

"It's really not. I tell myself that I don't see what Petunia likes about him but I think I do. He's boring, full of himself, and narrow minded—perfectly normal to her." Lily relayed, spooning her banana milkshake.

"You're 17—can't you just turn him into a flobberworm?" Marlene questioned.

"I think my sister would die of a stroke."

"Family woes," the Waite girl sighed, "We feel for you, Lily."

"Yeah…," she started, glancing at them, "But, Vernon and Petunia aren't the only things that I've had to deal with this summer. Something, er, happened to me, before term ended, and… it won't leave my mind."

Marlene's spoon came down from her mouth as she stared at Lily, and then she quickly posited:

"Something bad?"

"N-No." Lily admitted.

"Is it to do with how you'd been acting the last couple days at school?" Alice pondered, looking at her.

"I… I suppose so, yes."

She had not been aware her friends had noticed her change in behavior or mood so adeptly. James had surely noticed but everyone else?

"I hope it's not bad." Marlene re-stated sincerely.

"No no Marlene, it's not." Lily attested.

"Well, you can tell us, Lily, if you'd like. Or think it'd help." Alice alerted, glancing at the other pureblood once.

The red head let out a long, extended sigh, shutting her eyes briefly. This was it. She had to tell them, had to get it off her chest. She had spoken with absolutely no one about the incident and it was eating at her as a result.

"I…," the Evans girl shakily began, readying herself, "I… snawJayPotta."

"You… you what?" Marlene asked, looking at her quite confused.

"Lily, we didn't understand—" Alice started.

"I said I snogged _James_!"

This declaration came out strong, with force, but for only their ears. Lily put her face in her hands after saying it and remained that way for a handful of moments, too scared to view their expressions and registering that she had actually told them; when she did finally brave it, with her own meek and cautious expression, she saw both were gawking at her in absolute shock. Marlene had both hands covering her open mouth, eyes huge, while Alice's hands were laid flat on the table.

"_Lily_!" the Waite girl breathed, gaping.

"Yes?" the prefect timidly responded.

"Is it… it's true?," the McKinnon girl breathed, "You and _James_?"

"Yes…"

"When!" Alice demanded, a touch of hysteria in her voice.

"Our second to last day at school! Well, night actually. I was in the common room, it was late, h-he came walking in from seeing that Hufflepuff—Detz! I don't bloody know _why_ he made me so angry but he did, and then we started rowing! It was like being back in fourth or fifth year again… I don't even remember half of what we said! B-But towards the end I stomped off for our room and James came after me, and when he turned me around to face him… he kissed me. Just like that," Lily explained, peering at her friends and recalling, "And… I didn't push him away, or yell at him… I kissed him back. I don't even… I just… I-I kissed him back! I don't know how long we snogged, but… it was unexpected, and surreal, and wonderful, and scary, and… brilliant."

The red head was gazing at them once more but their countenances had changed. The brunette was hugging herself and bobbing up and down slightly, as if she were going to combust, whereas the blonde had her hands gripped tightly in front of her chest. Both withes appeared to be besides themselves with mirth.

"Li_ly_!," Marlene squealed, an enormous smile on her face, "This is spectacular!"

"I can't believe this. Oh Merlin. I _can't_ believe this! Aaaah!" Alice remarked giddily.

"Well, don't get too excited. I, er… stopped it. I kind of… ran off," the Muggleborn reported quietly, looking at her fingers. She could practically hear their eager happiness grind to a halt and did not peer up.

"You _what_?" hissed Alice after swift silence.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Marlene posited anxiously.

"I don't _know_!," Lily exclaimed wretchedly, grabbing hair in both hands, "I realized what exactly I was doing and whom exactly I was snogging, and it was like I'd been Stunned! I still can't even work out why I returned his kisses! I reckon it was heat of the moment?"

"So you panicked and ran."

"And it was just that that made you stop kissing James? Realizing it was him?" the Waite girl prompted. Lily studied her, having the initial urge to reply "yes". But that had not been the true reason she had pulled away from the Chaser, had it?

"No," the Evans girl affirmed in a low voice, "D'you two remember our Amortentia brewing months ago? Slughorn had me tell what mine was aloud…"

"Yes, and you didn't know what one of the smells was," the brunette confirmed. Her prefect roommate nodded slowly and then said:

"I know what it is now. I found out that night. It… it knocked the wind out of me," Lily looked at her friends hesitantly, "It belongs to James. _That's_ why I ran."

Marlene's hands flew back to cover her mouth and Alice's jaw dropped open. They stared at her, astonished.

"So it's him, and now I've told you, and now you know," the red head stated, "_Help_."

"You snogged James in the common room and he's in your love potion…" the McKinnon girl prompted, gazing at her tenderly.

"Lily, love—do you have feelings for James _Potter_?" Alice posited, a hand over the other witch's. She seemed both empathetic and bursting with joy. Lily's lips trembled as she gazed back; was this not the very question that haunted her, the one of whose answer she was terrified?

"I don't know, I've told you! I don't know, I don't know, I don't _know_! I'm just a total mess! I have been since it happened! I don't know what to do or what to think, but it doesn't even matter because _he's_ all I can think about anyway!" Lily relayed with emotion. Marlene made a noise in her throat as she peered at the Muggleborn with shimmering eyes.

"Sounds like romance to me!" she sniffed. The Evans girl's eyes widened but Alice cut in.

"All right, before we get to how you feel, what did James have to say about your snogging?" she inquired, hand still on the prefect's. Lily stiffened. She would have to tell them that she had been vehemently ignoring the captain for almost a month. What would they think of her?

"I… I wouldn't know," Lily commenced in a small voice, "I haven't spoken to him since… since it happened." Marlene gasped.

"_No_?" she asked. The red head shook her head sullenly.

"You've been avoiding him this whole time?" Alice added.

"Yes." Lily feebly uttered.

"It makes sense now—the day you said you were ill, the train ride home… you didn't want to face James."

"Oh, Lily," Marlene commented. And then, to Lily's mild alarm, a couple of hot tears fell down her face; she had no idea she had even been close to crying! Yet she _was _feeling badly.

"Oh no! Don't cry!"

"I just… I feel awful saying all of this out loud, seeing how mean I'm being to J-James!" she remarked, letting the tears continue.

"You're not being mean, Lily! You're just very overwhelmed and confused! It's understandable." Alice assured.

"Well, y-yes, but he's taken to writing me now and I can't even respond! I don't _want_ to act this way, but!... I don't know."

Lily stared pitifully at the table while her friends looked at her with fond compassion.

"Everything will be okay, Lily," offered Marlene, smiling gently.

"Yes," Alice agreed, "I think you've merely been stalled by your emotions, which were unexpected."

"You just need to sort them out!"

"I've been trying—no luck," the red head admitted, smiling shakily and wiping her face dry.

"All right. Well, first off—do you regret kissing James?" the McKinnon girl asked.

"No."

"No?" the Waite girl repeated, something of a grin on her lips.

"It was… I've never felt like that before when snogging someone. Not with anyone else. Ever. Maybe it was because we'd just been arguing, but… it was so… I couldn't think. I was so wrapped up in how _wonderful_ it—" Lily explained before quickly shutting up. Marlene was peering knowingly at her again with that misty, romantic look.

"Because you two have a passionate history!" she notified.

"So, second thing—_write_ back to him," Alice advised, "Even if it's a short reply, just respond to him; I think he deserves that much. I don't reckon James going mental would be a good thing."

"Okay." Lily said, blushing a tad. She knew her roommate was right.

"Third thing—how you _feel _about James. Having his scent in your Amortentia is… a big thing." Marlene remarked carefully.

"I know, especially when it shouldn't be. I don't understand. I mean, I _like_ James—I came to like him during sixth year! But… a love potion? And after five years of wanting him to disappear into the ground? How does that make sense?"

The prefect looked at the two purebloods for answers yet they did not appear to have any, or perhaps they were not willing to voice them.

"Don't work yourself over it too much, Lily. You have time to figure it out." Alice told her warmly.

"Yes, and maybe things will be clearer once you talk to James." Marlene suggested. The Muggleborn nodded and took a moment before saying:

"I'm glad I told you girls about this. I hadn't told anyone else and I think I really needed to get it out."

"We're the only ones you've told?"

"Yes," attested Lily.

"Ooh—how trusting! We're special!" Marlene beamed. The red head laughed a little.

"We'll take it to the grave! Not even Frank and Bruce will be privileged to know." Alice commented.

Lily smiled at the two purebloods, suddenly struck by how pleased she was that she was here with these specific witches. Mary and Dorcas often teased Marlene and Alice for their sappy ideals and excitement concerning love, but at this moment Lily valued this trait about them. They had not made fun of, laughed at, mocked, or made her feel self-conscious over the fact that she had kissed James, as Dorcas or Mary may have done in jesting. They had made her feel less tense and more understood, which is precisely what she needed.

The three witches stayed in the parlor another 45 minutes enjoying each other's company and talking about various subjects, although they would revisit the Lily/James situation. They only went their individual ways when it was time for Marlene to meet Bruce, and before the Evans girl Disapparated she surveyed the portion of Diagon Alley in her view; it was notably devoid of a respectable number of people as it would have been say five years ago. The times were becoming progressively darker and brining more morose changes with them, something that unsettled the witch.

* * *

The owl returned the succeeding week with its third letter. Lily was not overly surprised to see it and she welcomed it inside her bedroom, stroking it affectionately a few times. (She was alone in the house, a rare occasion indeed. Oliver was at work, Janice was visiting a friend, and Petunia was at Vernon's house).

_Lily—_

_I suppose I should start this letter by introducing you to the owl who's delivering it since it only seems the polite thing to do. His name is Chester and he's my family's owl; he's been with us since I was 8. He's quite proud and really likes Pumpkin Pasty bits, but I don't know if you've got any lying around since you are in the Muggle world for the summer…. Sorry Chester, I tried. (His real name is actually Manchester but I've never been fond of that so I've been shortening it since I was a kid)._

_I still haven't heard from you, as I'm sure you realize. I hope your holiday is going well and you're not suffering too much from being in the same house as your sister, and definitely not that ghastly boyfriend of hers you've mentioned. Are they still together? I hope not, for your sanity and her poor lips. Imagine having to cozy up to something like that every day? Excuse me, I think I just got some sick on my desk thinking about it…_

_Has your family planned a trip anywhere this summer? There are about 3 weeks before Sirius and I go to Italy and I'm really looking forward to it. (I have an obsession with Italian food so if I come back looking like an overgrown hippogriff you know why). I can't believe it's nearly August. I've been running around practically all of England with my berk of a best mate for weeks, working on Quidditch stuff, actually worrying about seventh year; I reckon I lost track of time. And we've only seen the other Marauders once since being home but that should change next month. I know you must be anticipating an owl from Hogwarts—the end of July is when they notify upper years of ranks, right? Head Girl Evans…_

_Well I think I've gone on long enough. It's been awhile since I've seen you but you're still what I think about._

_Goodbye for now,_

_James_

She found that she really enjoyed this letter, likely because he had discussed aspects of his life with her and that she would reply as Alice had directed. Lily chose to answer on Muggle paper and wrote with an ordinary pen, and she felt definite nervousness when composing her response. It took her about three minutes of deliberating before she wrote anything down.

_James—_

_Chester is quite a lovely bird, very well-mannered._

_I hope you haven't lost _too_ much track of time. It definitely sounds like you've been busy; I haven't had much going on in my life unfortunately. Petunia and Vernon have been trying, actually. _

_I hope that you're taking care, as well…_

_Yours, _

_Lily_

It was a pathetic reply, she knew, but she had put 15 minutes into it and it was a reply nonetheless! She was glad she had followed through and hoped it would bring James _some _comfort or satisfaction. Conversely, once Lily had bid Chester farewell with her written message, she mentally focused on one part of his letter that had shocked her: the expectation of a Hogwarts letter. She realized with sudden bewilderment that she had not once thought about the Head Girl position or getting it since stepping off the train last month. The prefect had been so utterly concerned and involved with thinking about James & Vernon all vacation she had forgotten about this topic completely. Lily _did_ want to be Head Girl—what if Dumbledore had already sent out the notifications and she simply had not gotten it? What if another witch was going to be Head Girl?

This was Lily's new concern but it only lasted a day. It was the last Friday of July and she sat at the kitchen table in her pajamas, gazing at the empty plate in front of her. She was thinking of contacting Remus somehow to inquire if he knew the exact day to expect owls or had heard anything about the Heads, including if he had gotten it. Petunia was also at the table and peering at her sister oddly.

"What's up with you?" the blonde finally questioned. The younger daughter drew her gaze up.

"What?" she vocalized.

"You look dazed out."

"I'm just… thinking." Lily noted.

"Whatever." Petunia said briskly.

"Girls, come bring your plates—the food is ready!" Janice alerted from the stove. Petunia stood and picked up her plate, and after hesitating for a moment, she grabbed Lily's plate as well before leaving the table. The red head watched her sister with a small appreciative smile on her lips, fleetingly forgetting about the Head Girl post. Conversely, as Mrs. Evans and her eldest child were walking for the table accompanied by their hot breakfast, a modest sized owl came soaring through the open window. Petunia yelped as Lily swiftly popped out her chair.

Her initial thought was that James had written her back but a second later she realized this bird was not Chester and she had only answered him yesterday. The owl landed right in front of the witch and stuck out its leg to which an envelope was attached; she removed her mail, noticing the Hogwarts' crest on the envelope. Lily's heart rate increased at the bird spread its wings and left the Evans home without a sound.

"Owls!" Petunia spat, dropping her sibling's plate down.

"I wonder what it is, sweetheart!" Janice cheerfully commented.

Lily did not say anything as she ripped the letter open and her gaze took in her name and address before getting to the message.

_Dear Ms. Evans—_

_Congratulations. You have been selected as Head Girl for the 1977-1978 school year. Your exemplary record, marks, and behavior for the past six years have earned you this position of leadership and we believe you will do a commendable job serving your school and fellow students. Since you have been bestowed with this title a new witch will be appointed for Gryffindor seventh year prefect._

_You will receive a more thorough description of your position and duties in two weeks, along with the identity of the Head Boy; you two shall work closely during the school year on many tasks._

_Enjoy the remainder of your summer and, again, congratulations._

_Sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall_

Lily could not believe it.

Head Girl. _She _was Head Girl.

Her wish and anticipation had been fulfilled. She thought back to being a first year, her amazement and ignorance at Hogwarts and the magical world, questioning if she would fit in and succeed. And now, going into her last year of education, she was Head Girl. Her eyes filled with water.

"Well what is it Lily?" her mother asked.

"I…," Lily started, looking at her, "I'm Head Girl. Mum, they made me Head Girl!"

Mrs. Evans shrieked in delight, putting a hand over her mouth, and then she ran to her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug.

"This is absolutely wonderful, darling! Our Lily, Head Girl! Oooh, I'm _so_ very proud of you! We _have_ to tell your father—we'll call him at work! He'll be fit to burst! Head Girl! We must take you out for dinner to celebrate, tonight! Lily!" she rambled. The witch laughed, hugging her in return, letting her go on because she was so filled with happiness herself. She had to write to her friends to let them know but right now she was enjoying the moment with her mother.

Petunia, on the other hand, was seated back in her chair and peering at her parent and sibling with a sour expression, appearing far from pleased as they were.

* * *

James sat on the edge of his bed staring blankly at the letter a Hogwarts owl had delivered minutes ago. He had already read it, more than once in fact, but he did not comprehend what was written on the parchment. What in the world was going on?

His summer had been speeding by in a mad dash since stepping off the train and he was not sure where the days were going. It seemed as though James had been exceptionally occupied since the minute he had returned home and a great part of this involved Sirius. The two teenagers had only been at the Potter manor for two days before they had Apparated to Andromeda Tonks' house for a visit and meeting scheduled by Sirius. He had planned to get his key and go with her to Gringotts to see his vault, bequeathed by Alphard, but he was very excited to visit with her after so long as well. The three spoke for an hour before heading to Diagon Alley together and they remained there for nearly two hours, inspecting his account and eating lunch; they reminisced about their deceased uncle and discussed Sirius' plans to get his own place by the end of August. The trio returned to Andromeda's house when they were done in London and received a nice surprise: Ted had returned home with their four year old girl, Nymphadora. The small witch needed about 15 minutes to remember and acclimate to the teenagers, but once that had been accomplished she avidly played with them for another hour, her hair changing color on a frequent basis.

Sirius officially began his apartment search three days after seeing his cousin and James was a loyal part of it all. The Gryffindors would check out multiple homes every few days, all of which were wizard in nature and no more than 10 miles from the city. (The Black boy vocalized that he needed to be "close to action" since he bored so easily). Remus and Peter joined their best friends on a handful of instances of home hunting and even Vivienne and Harold went with the boys one time.

"Although, truthfully, Sirius, I don't see _why_ you want to move out. You have a home with us, love!" Mrs. Potter remarked while they were surveying an apartment in Notting Hill. She looked critically at a countertop.

"I know, Mum," he smiled fondly. James grinned.

"It's a part of growing up, Vivienne." Mr. Potter attested.

"They still have a year left at Hogwarts!" she insisted.

"And you'll have that year to get used to the idea of _me_ leaving the manor once I graduate!" James noted.

"_You_ are never leaving home!" his mother replied heatedly, pointing at him.

"What? Bullocks!"

"James! Language." Harold warned as Sirius laughed.

Frank's 17th birthday was on July 14th and he invited the Marauders to his parents' house where his entire family was throwing a large party in his honor. They went, of course, and pitched in for one, nice gift; he was happy to have them there and they enjoyed themselves, finding particular humor in his uncle Algie. Alice was the only witch from their House at the party and her presence led James to dully reflect on the other issue that was dominating his time (mentally, at least) all vacation: Lily. He had not spoken a word to her since that night in Gryffindor Tower, though he had tried extremely dutifully to change this. She confused him and her silence made him grow paranoid and more antsy with every passing day although she refused to leave his thoughts. Feeling an irresistible need to talk to and see her, and possibly snog again?, James had written his first letter to Lily two weeks after being home.

It had been somewhat frantic and pleading but it had been the truth, and he hoped it would get her to answer him. When Manchester returned from delivering it he had been empty handed and it made the Potter boy full of despair. So he waited another fortnight, continuing to desperately think of Lily, and caved in and wrote the girl her second letter. It held the same tone as the first and, like the first, Chester came back without a response; James wanted to rip his normally cherished hair out. The third letter, which he had sent only two days ago, had been much different from the previous messages. It had been notably longer, composed, and full of himself, not beseeching ramblings which may have actually scared Lily, upon second thought. While he was still frantic to hear from her, he hoped this more gentle approach would coax her into replying and put him at ease.

James had still not told his friends about kissing Lily, not even Sirius. He did not know how to bring it up and honestly wanted to know for himself where he stood with her before he divulged that information and had questions fired at him. It was embarrassing, infuriating, and disheartening all at the same time and he could only pray she would send Chester back to him with a written response. When James had first heard the tapping on his bedroom window that morning and saw the bird floating outside, he initially thought it was his. A moment later he recognized it could not be, for it took the owl about a day of flying to reach the destination in the first place, and he walked to let the animal in with growing curiosity. It turned out to be a letter from Hogwarts and he wondered what they could possibly be sending him as he tore open the envelope; it was still too early for their supplies list to be sent out.

When the Potter boy first read the message he thought he had read it incorrectly so he reread it. After the second time he thought it was a joke and even smiled, so he read it again, and after a third reading he still thought it was a ploy but not a very funny one. Realization started to set in during the fourth time, trepidation in the fifth, shock and fear in the sixth, and now here he sat gazing numbly at the parchment. James' eyes flickered down to the first line and he felt his stomach churn with something akin to nausea.

_Congratulations. You have been selected as Head Boy for the 1977-1978 school year._

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun! James, Head Boy? You don't say! So I'm definitely going to need another 2 weeks before I post again—I have to get caught up with writing more before I post another chapter. I'll celebrate a birthday during that time and then get back to this story


	39. Expectations

A/N: So I had a very good birthday; another year older! I even got a godson as a gift :) Also saw the Deathly Hallows Part 2, of course, and was miserable to realize there are no more HP things to look forward to from here on out. Major sadness, fellow fans. What are we to do?

_rufidk: _Fine. You and Bob win: I will try to omit writing "the Potter/Black/Lupin boy" as much as I can. Lol. It got to be habit, ha ha.

_Rachel: _Thank you for your compliments! As for Hagrid, I think he will appear a bit more during seventh year, but don't get your hopes up too much. I find it hard writing his speech, and, quite frankly, I don't like book Hagrid. At all. Lol.

_cupcakequeen: _Yes, my poor little Remus! But I was just trying to follow canon; Hagrid told Harry his parents were Head Boy + Girl in the first book, so I incorporated it.

_le bonheur: _I am humbled you like the way I write and thank you for the bday wishes! Nice call about Dorcas, ha ha. And yes—setting has always been a weakness for me. I will try to focus on that more, thanks.

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 39**

This was so very wrong. Head Boy.

It could not be the case.

They had mistakenly given Remus' letter to James _and_ gotten their names mixed up to boot.

Head Boy_. Him_?

He was not even a prefect, the first step required to become Head Boy! And more importantly, he had been the poster child for detentions, pranks, bullying and all around mischief for five years of his life at Hogwarts; who, with half a brain, would even entertain the notion of him being Head Boy?

For this reason alone James knew the letter was sorely mistaken meant for someone else, someone like Remus, so he should not worry himself over its content. Yet that did not halt the welling panic he was beginning to feel and he could not move his body from his bed for the life of him. Ten minutes later when Sirius came marching into his room without bothering to knock, the Chaser was still rooted in his spot.

"Mum demands your presence downstairs for breakfast," Sirius relayed, strolling inside, "She was heartbroken when she saw me eating alone with no one for company but Stranger."

James looked up at him, willing his mind to tell his friend of the absurdity of the letter but feeling oddly speechless. He gaped at Sirius and opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out and he was left with a helpless expression on his face. The other boy peered back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Forgotten how to speak?" Sirius posited.

"I... I… they…" James stuttered, glancing at the parchment in his hand once more.

"You know Jamesy, if I want to listen to a bumbling nit, I can go to Wormtail."

James looked back at Sirius and shut his mouth, frowning a tad. When he spoke again he was no longer stammering.

"They said I'm Head Boy," he reported gravely.

"What?" his best friend inquired with folded arms.

"Hogwarts. I'm… they've named me Head Boy."

Sirius stared at him blankly for a few moments and then a grin started to spread across his face.

"Prongs—" he commenced.

"No, I mean it," James cut in hoarsely, standing up, "I—here. Read it." He handed the other wizard the letter who took it, now furrowing his brow.

Sirius read it and gazed up at his roommate when done, all traces of humor gone from his face. James nodded once in confirmation, appearing solemn, and Sirius dove back in for a second read with more urgency. He stared silently at James after he had read the letter twice and he was grimacing.

"Do you see?," James questioned, sounding wary, "What are they playing at! It _can't_ be right; there has to be a mix up! Or this is a joke, from someone we know! Peter, or Kirby and Rodrigo, o-or Dorcas sent this! There's no way _I'm_ Head Boy! Why would they give it to me? There's no logic behind it. It's impossible. It's random. It's stupid. _Me_? Head Boy? Sirius—tell me I'm _not_ Head Boy!" James sounded frantic and was studying his friend for help, finally able to voice his gigantic concern. But Sirius was now the speechless one attempting to process this significant revelation.

"What…," he slowly began, continuing to frown, "How can _you_ be Head Boy… why?"

"That's what _I_ don't understand! Who decided this? Dumbledore? What possessed him to give me, of all wizards!—I'm not even a bloody prefect, Padfoot! Gah! I'm going to go mental because this doesn't make sense! What have I done to earn _that_! I refuse to believe this is real!" James ranted, now pacing and grabbing his hair.

"This letter looks real, sounds real…"

"Well then it's a mistake, a noticeable mistake. They've got my name confused with another bloke's and sent me a letter accidentally. That's all there is to it."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Sirius asked, peering at him.

"Write to Dumbledore and let him know," the Chaser declared. As if to make a point he pulled out his desk chair and sat down, grabbing some parchment.

"Are you going to tell your parents?"

"Why? It'd just set them a fluster for no reason; it's surely an accident."

Sirius looked at the message again as James began composing his.

_Professor Dumbledore—_

_Hello. I hope you've had an enjoyable holiday so far and are not stuck with too many professorly duties. Everyone needs a break, right?_

_I am writing to you, sir, because I fear there's been a mistake. I received an owl today meant for the Head Boy and I don't think there's any way it could be me. My name was on the envelope, yes, but I think Professor McGonagall meant to write another seventh year's name. Perhaps Remus Lupin? I wanted to bring the matter to your attention so it can be cleared up and the true Head Boy notified of his position._

_Thank you._

_My best,_

_James Potter_

"Chester should be back soon so he can take it." Sirius noted as his best friend searched for an envelope. (He was under the impression that the bird was delivering letters to Cathy Detz, not Lily).

"Yeah, but Dad said he's going to the Ministry tomorrow so I'd rather give it to him. There's a good chance Dumbledore will be there as well; I think he mentioned a meeting, in fact."

The other teenager nodded while James stuffed the parchment inside the envelope and then left the room to find his father. Sirius followed.

"Dad, can you do me a favor?" James pondered when he found Harold in the master bedroom.

"Of course, son," he answered, turning to the boys.

"When you go to the Ministry tomorrow will you give this to Professor Dumbledore? If you see him?"

"Yes… I'm set to meet him, actually," Mr. Potter reported, accepting the letter, "What's this? Is it important?"

"Er, not very. I just… wanted to ask him something. It pertains to seventh year." James revealed.

"Well all right. I'll make sure he gets it."

"Thanks Dad."

"Are you two going to look at flats today?" Harold inquired.

"Tomorrow." Sirius half smiled.

"There you are!," Vivienne suddenly huffed, walking into the bedroom with Stranger trotting happily behind, "I told you to fetch James and you get side tracked! Breakfast, _all_ of you, now! I didn't work for nothing!"

"Sorry Mum. I was on my way, really," her son responded, bending down to pet his Crup with a smile and thinking everything would be cleared up soon.

Manchester returned the next day before the two Marauders began the apartment trek and after Mr. Potter had left for the Ministry of Magic. James was ecstatic to see that he was carrying paper, notably Muggle paper, and James reveled in the knowledge that Lily had written him back at last. He chose to quickly read the reply when Sirius was grooming in the bathroom before they departed. He found herr letter was very short and it took a handful of moments for him to decide how to feel about it; it was not what he expected but he had not truly thought she would write to begin with, so expectations were rather null and void. But Lily had said she wished he was taking care, and she had signed it 'yours', and this gave James notable hope. He would write her again and much sooner, after Manchester had a few days to rest, and he felt a tingling sensation as he thought of the word 'yours' while he put the letter in his abandoned school trunk. It was a good start to the day, he thought.

Sirius and James looked at four apartments during their outing and had lunch in Kensington, and the former was quite enthusiastic about the third home they viewed, preferring it to any other place they had seen thus far. It was in Camden and had two bedrooms along with a small loft that held a sweeping window with a splendid view, and James agreed that it was exceptional. After seeing the last apartment the boys returned to the favorite and Sirius spoke with the owner at length—a stout, brunette witch. He told her he was very interested in renting and, following at thirty minute conversation, fulfilled his goal by signing the lease and giving a safety deposit. His new landlord told him his home would be ready for move-in come August 20th.

"I have my own flat, Prongs! This is brilliant!" Sirius joyfully commented as the two left the building, rubbing his hands together.

"It is!," James grinned, genuinely happy for his friend, "Can't wait to tell Peter and Remus."

"Yeah, we can show them when they come over to the manor in a few weeks."

"And you'll need to have a house warming party!"

"I will! When we get back from Italy; I'll be moving in a week late anyway." Sirius noted. (Their trip was scheduled for August 19th and was meant to last ten days).

"Well let's Apparate home—I want to tell Mum!" James announced.

The two Gryffindors found Vivienne in the first floor's sitting room and they immediately told her about Sirius' new apartment, their glee apparent.

"I'm so glad you've found a suitable place you like, Sirius, love," she bid, "When can you move in?"

"The 20th, so it'll be after our trip," he told her.

"That means you'll only be here with us a bit longer! Oh…"

"No worries, Mum! I'll still come around often, I promise!" Sirius affirmed, grasping her hand.

"You'd better! You've been with us for a year and a half!" Mrs. Potter sadly remarked.

"I know. And you've been fantastic!"

"You should be thrilled to see him go, Mum! No more rude remarks, insatiable appetite or refusals to bathe!" James joked, giving her a small hug. Sirius smirked.

"Now James!" she scolded, smiling in spite of the prospect of losing a son.

"If it makes you feel better you can invite Peter to stay, but I'm sure you'll come to find he's highly disappointing." Sirius relayed.

"You two always have a go at dear Peter—let the boy alone."

"Vivienne? James?" a male voice then rang out from somewhere in the house.

"In the sitting room, Dad!" the Chaser shouted back, walking to the entry. A short stint later Mr. Potter entered the room wearing robes of deep green.

"Choose your robes more wisely next time, Dad." Sirius advised as Harold gave his wife a taut hug. James snickered while his father had a swift smile illuminate only a portion of his countenance.

"A very long day," Harold sighed, falling carefully into an armchair, "The Ministry has been a tense, buzzing whirlwind since the double homicide in April. Trust is evaporating speedily and being replaced by paranoia and deceit… it's so unfortunate. I am worn and glad to be home."

The teenagers gazed at one another grimly. Their father appeared as worn as he claimed.

"Harold, you don't have to go there as often as you do. I know many wizards ask for your advisement and experience but you've done your part, darling, _years_ ago. It only makes you more tired." Vivienne explained. Her husband nodded wearily.

"Yeah, it's like you're still a Wizengamot member, Dad. They can manage without you—you don't need the extra stress. You've… you've got a family." James vocalized.

"One that is essentially matured. You and Sirius only have a year left at school and one of you is already planning to move out on his own," Harold smiled fondly, "But I hear what you're saying James, you and Vivienne. I am old, quite old, and it _is _wearing on my mind and body."

Sirius noticed his best friend's stance became somewhat rigid at this declaration and he put a comforting hand on his shoulder, understanding that James did not like to think of his parents as feeble, precarious or old, since the connection to death was a formidable association that normally followed.

"Maybe it is time to cut back, although not give up—as long as this dark presence is here I will help to combat it." Mr. Potter said while his wife rubbed his shoulders.

"You sound like Professor Dumbledore." Sirius smiled.

"He is an extraordinary exception, older than I and with more spice in his cauldron!... _oh_! James—I gave Albus your letter and he responded. Sought me out before I left."

"You wrote to your headmaster?" Mrs. Potter asked as Harold removed the parchment from his pockets. James nodded rapidly and took the message from his parent, feeling as though he was welling up like a balloon with anticipation.

"He told me I must be proud of how well I've raised you, how much you've matured," Harold reported, gazing at his child, "And I am, undeniably, but what caused his comment, son? What did you ask him?"

James' eyes greedily roved the letter and he felt as if time was stopping.

_Dear James—_

_My summer holiday has been enjoyable thus far, thank you for inquiring! And without an abundant of "professorly duties", might I add. I had the chance to visit Tanzania and had a wonderful time exploring the terrain, culture, and highly diverse animals. I fancy that I even got a bit of a tan!_

_To address your concern, I can assure you there has been no mistake so put your worries to bed. You have been chosen as Head Boy, Mr Potter, and I daresay you will do a spectacular job. There was no mix up or mistake and the owl made it to the correct person, but thank you kindly for your concern about the matter._

_Expect a second owl in a fortnight and revel in your new found position; you deserve it!_

_Warm regards,_

_A. Dumbledore_

James looked at his parents, feeling sick. All of his emotions from the previous day when he received the Head Boy notice returned—it was true. There was no disputing it now: he was Hogwarts' Head Boy.

"James?" his mother prompted when she saw how ashen faced he suddenly appeared.

"I… I'm… I'm Head Boy," he quietly answered.

"What?" she sharply pondered. Sirius grabbed the parchment from the Chaser and he allowed it, while Harold gawked.

"I said, I'm Head Boy. He just confirmed it…"

Vivienne gasped loudly as Harold stood up, both staring at James. He gazed back.

"James, _sweetheart_— Head Boy?" Mrs. Potter breathed, looking as if she was going to start crying. He nodded languidly and then, in a cracked voice, noted:

"I don't know why."

His parents did not seem to notice the fear and worry he was experiencing as they launched themselves at him, Vivienne giving way to happy tears and fierce hugs as Harold raved about his immense pride and love for James. Sirius watched, flabbergasted that his best friend was the upcoming Head Boy, while the wizard in question could only stand there, accepting praise.

* * *

"You know, we have to tell the other Marauders." Sirius vocalized delicately, peering at the other boy. He was playing with his fingers.

"I know." James said, his hands holding his head as he sat perched on the foot of his bed.

It was after dinner at the manor and the two were listening to music on the wireless. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had continued their jubilant rambling about James being Head Boy throughout the meal while he sat in unusual silence, and Vivienne insisted they go to London the following day to get him "whatever you desire". James did not want anything, really, except to _not_ be Head Boy, perhaps.

"Are you going to write them or should we see them in person?" Sirius asked glancing at Stranger, who was lying next to his owner. James took a moment before responding.

"I'd prefer neither," he stated.

"James, you _have_ to let them know; this is epic. Especially Moony…"

"Remus!," the Chaser uttered, looking at his friend, stricken, "Sirius, _Remus_ wants Head Boy; he has since he got his prefect badge! How will it look… what will he think knowing _I_ got it? How could they do this?"

"It _is_ all he talks about. Restricted his marauding last year because of it." Sirius remarked.

"I won't do it then. No. I'll refuse. I just _won't _be Head Boy!"

"Prongs, I don't know if you _can_ turn it down."

"Well why not? I didn't ask for this—I don't want it! They can't _force_ me to be Head Boy!," James relayed animatedly, gesturing. Sirius peered at him, "Mate, we both know I'm not fit to do this. I'm going to fail."

Sirius studied his oldest friend with pity and shock. He had his own complex feelings about James getting Head Boy, including thinking his primary partner in crime had been suddenly snatched away from him, but he had never seen him this anxious and self-doubting since meeting him. Sirius did not like it.

"You? Fail at something? Impossible!," he declared, striding over to the bed, "Chin up, Potter."

James did not take these words to heart and continued to look miserable so Sirius did the first thing that popped into his mind to snap the boy out of his lowly state: he lunged at James and took him sprawling to the ground.

"The hell!" the Chaser cried out.

Sirius only laughed as he began to playfully bat his friend in the head with his hand and Stranger hopped up, barking excitedly at the two.

"You bloody pissant!," James exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"Cheering you up!" Sirius alerted merrily, on top and continuing to hit him.

"You're abusing me!"

"Yes, and rather easily… it's pathetic."

James growled, a grin spreading across his countenance, and yanked Sirius' collar down so he could grab a hold of his neck. Stranger jumped from the bed and ran to the Gryffindors, yipping happily as they tousled with each other on the carpet like they were 11 again. Sirius put James into a headlock, having lost his upper stance, and laughed as he gruffly ruffled the other's hair.

"Ruddy Padfoot!" James grumbled, although smiling. He hit his best friend in the stomach and Sirius let go with an "ooof".

"Padfoot, you say?" Sirius prompted, rubbing his stomach with a devious smirk. It was a good thing the door was closed because in the next moment a big, black dog sat where Sirius had been, wagging its tail rapidly.

James laughed disbelievingly as Stranger went beside himself with acute curiosity and exhilaration at the presence of another canine. The Crup jumped around Padfoot sniffing eagerly and barking incessantly, and the larger dog humored the smaller by nipping back playfully and also inspecting. James watched the two animals contently until Padfoot turned his attention on him, and then he had the large dog tugging roughly at his shirt and jumping all over him.

"Oy! You great mutt!" he laughed, attempting to get out of his path. Padfoot growled playfully and went from pawing James' shoulders and nipping his ear to pulling his shirt once more, yanking the wizard forward as he moved backwards.

"If you rip my shirt I'll have your head mounted on my wall! You know it's my favorite!" James asserted, struggling to retrieve the fabric from the dog's mouth.

The shirt in question was a dark gray t-shirt with the Falmouth Falcons' name and mascot on the front and a number on the back, all written in white. Padfoot did not seem to care and shook his head back and forth aggressively, still holding onto the piece of clothing.

"Let go you tosser!" James insisted, laughs continuing to issue from him.

He flicked the dog on the nose once, hard, and gained his freedom as the animal snuffed agitatedly. The Gryffindor then grabbed Padfoot by the neck and wrestled him to a sitting position, at which point he started petting him fondly on the head and back, smiling. The dog's tail thumped against the floor with appreciation.

"You're completely off your rocker." James notified, petting his muzzle while grinning. Padfoot barked once, joyfully, and moments later he had transformed back into his human form. The two boys stared at each other, Sirius sporting a very broad smile while James' arm hung around his shoulders, and then Sirius suddenly licked the Chaser's right cheek.

"Bleeding GIT!" James shouted, mightily shoving his best friend away and wiping his cheek in revulsion. Sirius was doubled over in laughter.

"What? Padfoot didn't get a chance to give that to you!" he notified, holding his sides from mirth. Stranger approached Sirius and sniffed him inquisitively.

"You belong in St. Mungo's, you know that right?" James pondered, wanting to scowl but knowing he was not upset.

"Hey, I cheered you up didn't I?," Sirius prompted, standing and pulling his dorm mate up as well, "Jamesy, look—this'll all be fine! We'll tell the other Marauders, Moony will be okay with it, and you'll be a smashing Head Boy! The most fun Hogwarts has ever seen! Come on, no worries."

"Yeah… I'll, I'll be able to handle it," the Chaser uttered, nodding and running both hands through his hair.

James wrote to Remus and Peter about being Head Boy a few days later and waited for their answers. Peter responded without delay and expressed absolute shock at the news, questioning why he had been chosen, if he was nervous, and if he even wanted the position; James wrote back and assured him they would all talk about it more in depth when the quartet was reunited before the trip abroad. Remus, on the other hand, remained quiet. When the sixth day passed with no reply from the prefect, the soon to be Head Boy returned to wallowing in anxiety and mild despair.

"He hates me now, he hates me! I _knew_ he would! They gave me his dream! Moony resents me Sirius, and it's Hogwarts' fault! The Marauders are finished!" James dramatically reported.

Sirius tried to convince his friend otherwise but James would believe none of it, so he took it upon himself to write to Remus to try to sort things out. He mentioned how James did not feel worthy of the title and how his main concern involved Remus' feelings, and asked if the prefect still planned to come spend the weekend like they had planned. Sirius rarely played the part of the imploring peacemaker but he had one freaked out, glum best friend he had to contend with and wanted to keep him off edge.

Two days after Chester had taken Sirius' letter to Remus, James received another, thicker memo from the school, this time outlining Head duties and regulations and the name of the Head Girl.

"Look at this calendar." Sirius stated, peering at a long sheet of parchment among the stack.

"I don't see a reply, do you? I don't think he wrote me back!" James said, rifling through the papers. (He had written the headmaster once more asking for specific reasons for his appointment).

"Maybe he thought one was enough."

"I need to know _why_, Padfoot!"

"Never mind that now—see who the Head Girl is! Which witch is going to be your partner," Sirius commented avidly, setting the calendar down.

"Oh yeah… I was so focused on a reply I forgot." James remarked. He then sifted through the parchment for the first page.

"Hope it's not Flagstone. She's cute in the face but she's a Slytherin! And a bitchy one at that."

A brief stint passed while the Chaser searched for the answer.

"It's Lily," he hollowly relayed once he found the information.

Sirius dropped another page describing the process of rounds and peered at his friend giddily.

"Ms. Evans?" he posited perkily.

"Lily's Head Girl…" James murmured, feeling a fresh wave of panic and emotion wash over him.

"Ha ha ha! This is perfect, mate! Gryffindors as Heads, and it's _Lily_ of all witches! You two got on so well during second term and now you'll be working together! You _have_ to be thrilled about this! And who knows—maybe something more will finally surface for you because of this!"

James gazed worriedly at his best friend. Something more? Memories of the night they had snogged flashed in his mind. Lily was Head Girl to his Head Boy, and at the moment this only made things more complicated; they still had not spoken candidly to one another about what they had done or what it meant for their friendship. This would undoubtedly affect their new positions of leadership!

"Sirius, I have to tell you something!" James alerted, knowing the time had come for him to divulge his secret. He had to get it out now because at this rate the duress of it was only going to grow and make him feel more bogged down.

"What? That you never stopped fancying her? Already knew that." Sirius smirked.

"No—I mean, I-I reckon it's connected to that, but that's not… look, something happened between us, me and Lily."

"I'm listening…"

* * *

Not Bruce Bowyer, not Marcus Hamilton, not Evan Rosier, not even _Remus_. All of the sixth year male prefects Lily had seen regularly had been denied the next slot of power and would not be working parallel to her but would rather answer to her. And who, then, was to be Head Boy if none of these four had been selected for the job? Who had been chosen by the Heads of Houses and headmaster? James… James Potter. To say Lily had been confused upon reading this was an understatement.

'Why' reverberated through her head incessantly. Why was it him, of every single wizard in the school, why not one of the prefects, why someone whom had caused so much havoc in the past, why it seemed somewhat unfair, why she did not think James had been more aware of this than she, and why the universe was out to get her. Lily was meant to work side by side with the boy whom had an iron grip on her thoughts and emotions and would rattle them, leaving her in a whirlwind. She realized she had to write to McGonagall and James, but what would she say?

_Professor McGonagall: I see you've made James Potter Head Boy. My only question is why. Why him, why? What were you thinking? What has he done to demonstrate he needs or even wants this? Are you completely discounting his behavior from years one to five? If you were picking random students why didn't you choose Severus Snape as HB and Emma Seigal as HG? I don't understand. Professor—I NEED TO KNOW!_

_James: I see you've been appointed Head Boy. I was just wondering if you might know why because it threw me through one hell of a loop. To be honest, I thought it would be Remus. Also, sorry I'm able to write to you about this but not about the fact that we snogged ourselves stupid in June._

After hours of thinking Lily knew she could not do it. She would not question McGonagall's authority or risk making James feel badly, but she did want to speak to the latter about all of this. She reasoned she would wait until James wrote her again and then she would broach the subject; perhaps they could meet up to talk, like he had suggested, and then the topic could progress to that of their kissing and current status…. Thus, that is what Lily decided to do—she would wait to contact him until she saw his familiar owl floating outside one of her windows again. Although, Lily had no bird of her own or his address so she did not have much of a choice.

Remus responded to Sirius' letter but it was surprisingly short and very uncharacteristic of the prefect:

_Yes, I'm still coming._

His reply did not make James feel any better, the opposite in fact, and he noted Remus would answer Sirius but not him. Sirius attempted to show his best friend that if Remus was still agreeing to visit he could not possibly resent James, and the Chaser glumly hoped things would not be too awkward when the Marauders were together again (for which Sirius also hoped). As for discovering Lily was Head Girl, James found he was too hesitant to write to her. How would she react? What did she think about it? Was she upset with the decision, want a different wizard for the position? She had to have been shell shocked… what would he say to her? Until he determined an adequate message, James decided he would take his first break of the summer in writing her.

In the week before Sirius and James left for Italy they began buying items for the former's apartment since it did not come furnished. Sirius also started meeting up with Jeena for the first time of the break and the other boy would remain at home while he was gone, thinking of the right thing to say to Lily and questioning if he should write Dumbledore again. Conversely, the weekend of August 16th came upon them before they knew it and Peter and Remus arrived at the Potters' house to spend the next three days. (Remus Apparated while Peter used Floo since his Apparition licensing exam was not until the 23rd). James was unusually trepid in greeting Remus after Sirius did and offered a shaky smile, so when Mrs. Potter started proudly babbling about her son being Head Boy to the new arrivals he was somewhat mortified. The last thing he wanted was for that to be discussed all weekend long.

The four teenagers sat fairly silently in Sirius' room while a chess board sat in between Peter and James, rather forgotten. Not much was being said and they would catch one another's eye from time to time, whether purposefully or not; otherwise they could be found watching the Snitch James had stolen in fifth year buzzing around the room vibrantly. It was early Saturday night and the atmosphere was, quite frankly, uncomfortable and stiff. The Marauders had gone to Sirius' place earlier in the day for the benefit of the two whom had never been and then spent some time browsing through the outdoor markets. Conversation between them had been somewhat formal and it took Sirius or Peter to jump start it; Remus would typically chime in but with a detached coolness, and James often remained solemnly silent, choosing to glance at Sirius or Remus. Things had seemed to improve while they ate lunch that afternoon but here they were now, back in the awkward ambiance.

They had still yet to openly talk about the Head Boy issue or the fact that James had snogged Lily as a unit and it hung heavily in the air among them. They needed to speak and be honest with each other but no one was making the first move to do so, opting to muddle through their own personal musings.

"Bleeding trolls—this is enough!" Sirius suddenly exclaimed, making a movement that startled the others. They gaped at him as he hopped off his bed.

"W-What's up?" Peter inquired from his spot on the floor.

"I don't know about you lot but I had enough Marauder snubbing to last a century earlier in the year! I can't go through it again."

James and Remus glanced at one another quickly, gravely.

"What are you saying?" asked Remus.

"That we need to do something! Sitting here, saying nothing, is not working for me; we need to go marauder." Sirius vocalized. The Snitch was flying excitedly around his head as though teasing for a chase.

"Well what'd you have in mind, Padfoot?" James posited, hands on his knees.

"Let's go to a pub, have a few drinks! Chat up some pretty girls! I'd rather not waste the night."

"Yeah… yeah!," nodded Peter, "That sounds wicked. I'm for it! What about you, Moony? Prongs?"

"Sure—why not?," James half smiled, "Erm, what do you think, Remus?" They all looked at him with cautious expressions.

"Yeah, let's go," the prefect shrugged after a second.

"Excellent," grinned Sirius as the two on the floor rose to stand.

"Where should we go? Somewhere Muggle?" Peter questioned, sounding eager.

"We can't—have to be 18 to drink in their world." Remus corrected.

"Yeah, but I know of a street in Piccadilly Circus that's wizard! It'll be a nice change from Diagon." Sirius offered.

"Piccadilly is fun." Peter grinned.

"To London then, boys?" James prompted, taking a few steps to capture the Snitch; it moved obstinately in his hand.

"Indeed Mr. Potter!" Sirius confirmed.

"Wait, I can't Apparate." Peter notified.

"Side along Apparition, Wormy."

"Oh yes! James, can I go with you?"

" 'Course," the Chaser said.

"And is the first of us to Apparate not good enough?" Sirius pondered.

"I reckon I'm a bit worried you'll take us somewhere that's _not_ Piccadilly, leave me, and then I've no way of getting back." Peter confessed. Sirius' mouth fell open as Remus and James laughed.

"Merlin's socks! No faith in me, ever!"

* * *

A/N: So the next chapter will begin with the Marauders' antics at a pub in Piccadilly. It's also the last chapter that highlights the summer vacation and then it's back to Hogwarts, where Lily and James have no choice but to face one another.

**Side note** (that I'm bringing up again): for those readers who add this story to their favorites/alert list, would you do me a _wonderful favor_ and leave a review if you've never reviewed? I would really appreciate your feedback and what you think of this little story of mine! It's motivation, you know? Wink.


	40. Unicorn Breath

A/N: I'm sorry I'm four days late in posting, dear readers! As such, I typed this entire chapter out yesterday against my poor fingers' protests. Review shout out time: thank you to _Lavender Potter, Ridingstar, Megan, Ranma's girl, LovelyNightshade, harrypotterforever, Idk 1013, Strawberry Oblivion!_

_NotFalling: _you've left me a couple of reviews, actually. Thanks :)

_HPHGfan: _first off, love your name 'cause I feel the same way. You think my Lily is funny? That's always a bonus! Smile.

_AmeliaNior: _I'm so glad you approve of my Lily/James dynamic! I, too, would presumably act like Lily is. It'd be confusing, you know? But no worries, it doesn't last forever.

_cairdiuil paiste: _kid friendly, huh? That's cool! My love triangles/squares are very fun to write, ha ha.

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 40 **

Twenty minutes later the four Gryffindors were clustered around a table in a wizarding pub in Piccadilly Circus looking at menus. The colorful, luminescent lights from the square and other buildings flooded through the windows of the bustling establishment.

"They've got Muggle food as well," commented Sirius, eyes raking the pages, "What is… pizza?"

"Says it's dough, cheese, tomato sauce and any toppings you may want." James answered, reading the description.

"I had some when I was a lot younger. I remember liking it." Remus relayed.

"Let's try it then! We can put cabbage on it!" Peter vocalized.

"Bloody cabbage? Wormtail, that's mental! I'm not having cabbage on _my_ pizza." Sirius alerted.

"I like cabbage."

"What about chicken?" posited James.

"Now that's a worthy topping!" his best friend agreed.

"Mushrooms too." Remus added.

"And onions!" Peter stated.

"No to the onions, yes to the mushrooms." Sirius remarked.

"Hey, why can't I choose!"

"Because your taste in food is, to be frank, questionable."

Peter scowled as their server returned to the table.

"So what'll it be, blokes?" he asked with a self-writing quill and a pad of paper.

"A pizza." Remus replied.

"Size?"

"Large—"

"Extra large," Sirius amended, smiling, "And with chicken and mushrooms."

"Right. To drink?" the waiter inquired.

"Gin and gillywater." James commented.

"The same." Sirius uttered.

"Mead." Remus said.

"Firewhiskey!" piped Peter.

"Got it," the waiter half smiled, walking away.

They waited five minutes for the drinks and another ten for the pizza, and during this time some of the quiet tension remerged. Sirius knew they had to talk about the Head Boy issue or it would never go away, but a different topic forced its way out of his mouth first.

"Oy—you have to tell them!" he swiftly exclaimed after consuming some of his drink. He was speaking to James and had hit him on the shoulder.

"What?" he responded, frowning a tad.

"About Lily! What happened!"

"What happened to her?" Peter quickly asked as comprehension dawned on James' countenance.

"Is she all right?" Remus wondered, studying the two.

"Oh, she's fine! Actually I'm sure she's doing much better than fine, what with having tongue wrestled Prongs here!" Sirius grinned, an arm around James' shoulders.

Remus and Peter's faces were precisely what anyone would have expected them to be: perfect displays of shock and disbelief.

"You're pulling our wands." Peter near whispered as they gawked at James.

"I could make a dirty comment about that but I won't! And I assure you, I'm as truthful as a dose of Veritaserum!"

"James, you… you _snogged_ Lily?" Remus awed quietly.

"And it wasn't a dream?" Peter hurriedly interjected.

"No, it… actually happened," he admitted, smiling unsurely, "Back in June, right before we left for holiday."

"Well go on and tell the full story!" Sirius instructed.

And so James did, also telling the other Marauders about his letter writing to Lily over the summer. After the initial surprise had passed his friends appeared to be quite excited for him, and they discussed what he would say the next time he saw her in person as they ate their pizza.

"So it's like Moony said—she's probably still surprised she snogged you and it's why she's been so quiet." Sirius mentioned.

"It's understandable. After _years_ of thinking you were a toerag, to a new friendship, to kissing you? I'm sure Lily's figuring out how to deal with her feelings." Remus noted. James nodded, taking in their words.

"Do you reckon she could—she _does_… fancy me?" he questioned.

"If she sucked your face off, I think there's a very good chance." Sirius grinned. All of the wizards smiled and James' was hopeful.

"Wow Prongs, it finally happened! You got to snog Lily Evans!," Peter mused, "You were right when you said it would happen one day!"

"Yeah, but that was arrogance talking. A part of me never thought it would!" James attested.

"I told you all you had to do was be sincere with her, take it down a notch." Remus half smiled.

"And I am forever in your debt because of it, Mr. Lupin."

"Oh good. I'll start with you doing all my essays for seventh year!"

They all laughed and then Peter proposed a toast with their refilled drinks.

"To James getting the witch of his dreams!" he called.

"Ah! And to a brilliant night out!" remarked Sirius. They took gulps and then Sirius produced a small, clear bag with purple tablets inside from his pocket, laying it on the table; the others stared at it.

"_What_ is that?" Remus pondered, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

"A bag."

"Padfoot."

Remus gazed blankly at Sirius while the latter's grin grew substantially wider. He always did that—gave the terribly obvious, literal answer, ignoring the true query. Peter's hand reached out to take the bag but Sirius swatted the limb away.

"No touchey, Pettigrew," he ordered.

"Well are you going to tell us?" Peter answered, leering a tad.

"These, my dear lads, are fun in the shape of a tablet."

Sirius' grin was profound and his eyes alight with mischief as he peered at his friends. James' eyebrows were raised questioningly and he posited:

"Where'd you get them?"

"Met up with an acquaintance the other day after I saw Jeena." Sirius casually replied.

"What do they do?" Remus pondered, eyeing the bag suspiciously.

"Lots of things. Depends on the person, I reckon. Think of them as… mind and mood enhancers! I thought they'd make tonight especially enjoyable."

"Drugs!" Peter near whispered, his face lighting up. Wizarding drugs, in fact.

"Unicorn breath." Sirius confirmed, smirking now.

"Merlin, Padfoot!" James muttered, taking the bag and examining it. He could not deny the curious excitement that was building inside. Peter frowned, observing that James was allowed to touch but not him.

"And that's the good stuff, not the bullocks that's made on a loo floor somewhere."

"Have you tried it before?" asked Peter.

"Nah. I've only had doxy dust at 12, and that was when Regulus and I were being stupid." Sirius claimed.

"Lawrence Richardson was on doxy dust in fifth year, remember?" the Chaser mentioned. His friends all nodded, peering at the purple pills.

"So are we going to improve our night, mates?" Sirius prompted after a moment, continuing to smirk lazily.

"Definitely!" Peter happily attested, appearing enthusiastic.

"That's one! What say you, future Head Boy? Not too saintly yet?"

"I've never been that," James hastily replied, reddening somewhat at the note of his position, " 'Course I'm in."

"Lovely! And you, dear Remus? You haven't made a peep—" Sirius commenced, but he was cut off.

"Yep; I'll take it," the prefect interjected aggressively, narrowing his eyes.

"Well this was loads easier than I imagined! Just try to keep it together, yeah?" He passed the bag around.

"To our health." James murmured when they all had a tablet, smiling slightly. The drugs then vanished in the boys' mouths.

* * *

A quarter of an hour later the quartet was lucidly under the influence of the unicorn breath.

"Okay okay okay—I wanna play a game. I got a game in mind." Sirius announced quickly, waving his hands in front of him. Their pizza remains and empty glasses littered the table's surface.

"What?" Remus probed.

"S'about the girls in our year."

"The whole year? Or just Gryffindor?" Peter wondered. His eyes were bloodshot like the other three. Sirius thought about it, deliberately closing his eyes in concentration, and then answered:

"Just our House, our House."

"Go for it, then," grinned James.

"Right. Who has the best knockers?" Sirius inquired.

They did not seem to be thrown by the lewdness of the question as they considered their responses.

"Marlene." James stated.

"Yeah yeah." Peter agreed as Remus nodded.

"She does," Sirius smiled dreamily, as though reflecting, "Best looking lips?"

"Mmm… I'd say Lily." Remus remarked.

"Of course!" added Peter.

"Yeah, how were they Prongs?" Sirius smirked.

"Wonderfully perfect and soft." James commented with a matching smirk. There was laughter.

"All right. Best gams."

"You know, I think Mary!" Peter uttered.

"I concur, Wormtail," the captain vocalized.

"Her legs _are_ good looking… toned and all." Remus admitted, grinning goofily.

"Best bum." Sirius gleefully proposed. They all grinned at this.

"Ms. Evans takes it again in my book." James noted, ruffling his hair.

"Ours too. Just never said it 'cause we didn't fancy a punch to the face, from you _or_ her."

They laughed again.

"Alice is the curviest, though." Peter pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's all Frank." James affirmed.

"Maybe we should make the girls awards for their physical accomplishments." Remus observed. More laughter.

"Oy! All this talk—Mr. Black: Operation GOMS!" James rapidly said, turning to his best friend. The other gasped.

"GOMS! We've neglected it!" Sirius said.

"What?" Remus probed as he and Peter looked lost.

"Tonight, tonight. Right _now_, actually!" the Chaser encouraged.

"Yes," Sirius nodded hurriedly, "To the bar!"

"We have to pay!"

Sirius then turned abruptly in his chair and yelled loudly to the small group of servers.

"Oy! Can a wizard get the fuckin' check please!"

Peter and Remus burst into violent snickers as James looked proud. Consequently, five minutes later their bill had been taken care of and the Marauders were swarming around the patrons at the bar.

"More drinks?" Peter posited chirpily.

"No. GOMS," corrected Sirius, peering around the crowd.

"What the hell _is_ that?" Remus near hissed.

"You'll see," James assured, also gazing, "Oooh, Padfoot! _They're_ nice!"

He was pointing to two light blonde women sipping green liquid. The one sitting on a stool was a bit plump but both were notably attractive.

"Blonde. Of course," the prefect snorted. James threw him a look but Sirius sidled up next to the females.

"Ladies," he grinned, putting his hands in his pockets. The two stared at him then the remaining three before breaking into giggles.

"Beautiful night," the Chaser commented, giving his best friend back up.

"Yes it is," the one sitting down agreed, a blush on her cheeks.

"Having fun?"

"Maybe more so now," the one standing alerted, smiling.

"Wait, you have accents!" Sirius smiled. The women laughed again.

"Where are you from?" Remus asked.

"Sweden."

"Sweden!" the two purebloods repeated, grinning at each other.

"Clearly you're witches if you're in this pub." Peter mentioned amicably.

"Yes. I am Elsa and this is Alma!" the sitting witch introduced.

"A pleasure to meet you both! I'm Sirius and these are my close friends." The Marauders introduced themselves.

"Welcome to Britain!" offered Remus.

"It is our fourth day here." Alma revealed, flipping her hair.

"We quite enjoy it." Elsa supplemented.

"Well that's brilliant!," James said avidly, "You know, it happens to be Peter's birthday here! We're out celebrating." Peter and Remus glanced rapidly at the captain, appearing bewildered.

"Oh how perfect!" Alma exclaimed.

"Happy birthday to you!" Elsa bid, touching Peter's shoulder.

"Yes. Big day." Sirius remarked, grinning pointedly at the shortest teenager.

"Er… t-thank you!" Peter answered, recognizing he was meant to go along with the ruse.

"How old are you?" Elsa questioned.

"18." James reported instantly.

"18!... So young!" Alma half gasped, sharing another giggle with her friend.

"You two can't be much older!" Remus mentioned, grinning. Sirius clapped him approvingly on the back.

"21." Elsa relayed, appearing amused.

"Well, since you two stunning swans are so friendly and we are obviously not dangerous lunatics, would you give us a favor?" Sirius inquired, his charming smile in place.

"That depends…"

"A quick kiss for the birthday boy."

Alma was laughing while Peter's eyes went very wide, but the other four were all grinning at one another skeptically.

"He's harmless, and a good man!" James attested.

"_And_ it's his birthday." Sirius stated.

"Well… he _is_ cute, Elsa." Alma observed.

"Okay, okay!" Elsa sighed. The Gryffindors cheered as she grabbed Peter's arm and pulled him towards her, placing a kiss on his cheek when they were face to face. (He remained quiet and surprised).

"Another, for the other cheek!" James encouraged. She relented, kissing the other side of his face.

"A third, for his nose!" Remus chimed in. The group laughed as Elsa placed a kiss on his nose and she chuckled while Peter blushed.

"Now his forehead!" the captain continued. A fourth kiss on his forehead was bestowed.

"He actually just needs some experience, so maybe you can show him a thing or two dear Elsa!" Sirius remarked, smirking somewhat and beginning to back away. He then yanked Remus' and James' shirts and pulled them with him, moving quickly to the other side of the room.

"Sirius!" the prefect cried, peering at him with humor.

"What? Hopefully she'll snog him senseless—that was the plan," he informed.

"If he takes awhile to find us it means it worked." James noted.

"That, or he talked her to death!"

The three teenagers spoke about Peter for a couple minutes until the topic changed and Sirius made a playful reference about James being Head Boy; at this Remus became rather subdued and the joking mood had been dissolved.

"Moony," James morosely began, looking at his friend with a sad expression, "I'm so sorry!" Remus glanced at him. They had been stewing in discomfort yet again when the captain chose to speak out, likely given an extra push from the drugs.

"For what?" asked Remus.

"Getting that ruddy badge! I know how much you wanted it—we all did. And you should've gotten it, not me; _you_ deserve it! The staff at Hogwarts are all barmy—the whole lot!"

Sirius gazed at them, silent, grave and expectant.

"I don't even want it. I thought they'd sent me your letter by mistake; I wrote Dumbledore and everything!," the Chaser continued, "Why me? I've caused so much trouble at that school so I'll never understand it. You're the good Marauder—you. They must've forgotten that. I've never given a damn about authority and I only calmed down a bit this last year! But I've got five years of terrible behavior before that! The Head Boy can't have a record!"

"James…" Remus murmured.

"And now you hate me and Evans is gonna be stuck with the worst Head Boy in Hogwarts history. I'd give my right foot for it to be you Moony, honest to Godric. I can't do it; I'm going to botch it up. I'm so bloody sorry…"

Remus seemed thoroughly surprised now and was peering at James with a gaping expression.

"He said it's the end of the Marauders." Sirius noted.

"_What_?," the prefect responded, "The end of… no! No! Prongs, I don't hate you. I could never hate you!"

"You don't?" James wondered, brightening somewhat.

" 'Course not! I mean, I wanted it, yes—yeah, I did. And when I found out I was… I thought it…," Remus shook his head and started over, "You know, it doesn't matter; can't change it and this is how it is. You're _not_ gonna be the worst Head Boy in history, James, and d'you know why?" he relayed.

" 'Cause Snape would be!" Sirius gleefully commented.

"Because you're James Prongs Potter and you're amazing at everything you do! Dumbledore knows that and it's why he gave you the badge! You'll be a fantastic Head Boy! And on top of that, you're a Marauder." Remus explained, ignoring the other wizard.

"Yeah! And at least one of us was appointed for it! A Marauder in power, as it should be!" Sirius merrily said, putting a hand on both boys' shoulders.

James looked excitedly from one friend to the other, a massive grin on his lips, and threw his arms out, happily exclaiming:

"Mr. Lupin, you're the best!"

Remus ducked agitatedly, one of James' arms entering his personal bubble although not in danger of hitting him.

"Whoa! What was that?" he hissed.

"What was what?" Sirius replied, looking around.

"I think it was a dragon!"

"Dragon! There's a dragon in here?" James uttered, concern in his voice.

"I'm not sure! It flew by my face!" Remus alerted.

"How'd it get in here!"

"Dragons in a pub?" Sirius posited, sounding outraged.

"Hey!" Peter suddenly greeted, appearing next to the trio and taking a brief hold of Remus' and James' upper arms; he looked completely flustered. However, in the next moment Remus had let out a piercing shout of alarm.

"Acromantula! An acromantula's got me! Bloody _hell_!" the prefect screeched, careening outward.

"Oh Merlin—me too! I CAN FEEL IT! Aaaargh!" James yelled, batting wildly at Peter with wide eyes.

"OY! What the!—" Peter cried out, shrinking away in confusion.

"This place isn't safe! This place isn't safe!" Remus shouted. He ran quickly to the doors in order to get out of the building and the Chaser was right behind him, just as wired and determined.

"Remus, wait for me!" he called.

"Dragons and spiders! What kind of pub is this? Someone could get _killed_!" Sirius roared, pointing a finger at no one and everyone in particular.

He then hurriedly followed after Remus & James, and Peter, who was utterly flabbergasted, was left to be gawked at by everyone in the vicinity. He did not stay long, conversely, and was the last Marauder to shoot out the doors, giving the Swedish women a look before he was gone.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the first round of hallucinations had subsided and the four Gryffindors were walking the streets in an animated fashion, still under the effects of the substance. Peter giddily told them that Elsa's kisses had progressed into actual snogging, likely due to the alcohol she had drunk, and it had been wonderful. His friends were thrilled for him and noisily congratulated him on his luck before throwing question after question about it.

"Are you going to see her again?" Remus asked.

"Well, no… I doubt it. But it doesn't matter because I've finally had my share of kissing, and with an older woman!" Peter replied, beaming. Sirius and James made noisy wolf whistles and cat calls, causing people to look at them.

"She was a looker, too!" Sirius stated.

"Pete, you animal, you!" the captain remarked. Peter's grin did not waver.

"I knew it would work! Prongs, sir, the operation was a success!"

"That it was, Mr. Black!"

"Operation? Huh?" wondered Peter.

"Oy—you lads up for food?" Remus interjected, hands on his stomach.

"More pizza!" Sirius affirmed, pumping a fist.

"Let's go somewhere Muggle for it." James grinned wickedly.

"Oh, and find more girls to snog!" Peter proposed.

"He's going to be impossible now, this one." Sirius attested, giving Peter a nimble shove.

"So which way leads back to the Muggles?" Remus pondered, squinting at their surroundings. James then rapidly removed his wand from its holster.

"_Accio_ Muggles!" he demanded, waving it around. His best friend started to laugh.

On the other side of the street in a darkened alleyway stood two men, watching the boys with keen interest and keeping quite still. They were not noticed by anyone walking that stretch of the pavement and this is exactly what they desired; they were waiting, and in the meantime watching.

"Don't I know you?" one man muttered, staring across at the Marauders. His gaze seemed to be manic and a tiny smile was on his lips.

"What?" his companion said, peering at him with a raised eyebrow. This man was the taller of the two and had dark blond hair. Although it was quite warm for a night they both wore black robes, yet his were immaculate whereas the other's was dirty and torn.

"One over there—I _know_ him, quite well in fact," came the supple response. The blond, Rosier Senior, gave a curt nod.

"James Potter and Sirius Black—the two I recognize. They go to school with Evan. And Black, of course… his cousin is rather vocal about him," he informed.

"Bellatrix," snorted the other, leering some.

"So it's Black you know?"

"Not apart from what I hear about the boy. But _that_ one, the one with brown hair and hidden scars most people have never seen, he's rather dear to me!"

The shorter man was grinning again as he studied the quartet and Rosier was looking at him with furrowed brows, his mind whirring.

"Hidden scars?...," he commenced carefully, "Greyback, did you—"

"Introduce myself? Oh yes—years ago, when he was a child! It was his father's doing; with the way Lupin was behaving, I just _had_ to meet his son!" Fenrir Greyback revealed, smiling and showing sharp teeth. Rosier looked slightly appalled.

"And did you… is he…"

"Oh, very much! I had deadlier intentions but what can I say? Ol' Fenrir has a heart! And he was such a sweet five year old!..."

Rosier looked back to the young wizards, his heart thumping in his chest somewhat faster now. One of them was a werewolf, converted when he was very young, and attended the same school as his son.

"I see Remus has friends—good for him," Greyback continued, mocking true adoration, "I wonder if they know of the gift I gave him!" Blue light then illuminated behind them at the opposite end of the alley and it caught their attention.

"That's the signal," the blond mumbled, glancing back, "He's ready. Let's go."

"We'll have our time again, Remus," the werewolf assured as he and his companion turned away.

The Marauders returned to Potter manor at three in the morning, coming off the high from the unicorn breath. They chuckled and giggled at everything as they prepared for bed, all opting to sleep in James' room on the carpet, and it took them another hour to actually fall asleep. They awoke in the early afternoon on Sunday feeling notably sluggish and heavy but they did not have time to relax because James and Sirius had to prepare for their departure to Italy the following day. Peter and Remus were to leave that day but they stayed until the evening, helping their friends get ready for their impending trip. When they did return to their homes it was with contentment and without the awkward strain that had been present for most of the weekend; they bid the two safe, well wishes for the journey abroad. James wrote Dumbledore his third letter regarding Head Boy as well and sent Chester soaring off into the dying evening. While he felt much better knowing he now had Remus' support he still needed to know why he had been chosen; no one had yet to answer that question.

Vivienne was teary eyed as she and her husband said goodbye to their sons for ten days the next morning, and after they escaped her loving babble, they were Italy bound. Sirius and James were spending their time in three different parts of the country: Rome, Florence and Milan, and their first destination was Rome for three days. The boys dumped their luggage in the hotel room when they arrived and then hastily left to explore the new environment, not wanting to waste a second. They spent all day basking in sights, sounds, places, people, and food (both were ecstatic to eat authentic pizza, their new favorite dish), and this was a routine they engaged in the entire trip. On the third day they tried Italian chocolate and immediately decided to bring some back for Remus.

"Merlin, Moony's gonna love this stuff!" Sirius said as he ate his last bite. It was tantalizing.

"It might make him a fiend, though." James answered.

"You mean more of a fiend than he is now? That berk has an addiction to chocolate!"

James laughed once, a pair of girls near them catching his eye. Sirius appeared to have spotted them too because he perked up and a grin was forming on his face. The captain smiled to himself at his friend's reaction.

"_Buon giorno_!" Sirius greeted, his attempted Italian accent doing the language justice. The girls looked at him, then James, and smiled.

"_Ciao_," one replied kindly. They were both pretty; one had black hair and the other had deep brown and both wore casual dresses.

"I hope you ladies are enjoying your day, and speak English." Sirius noted, smiling. James snorted.

"We are, and we do," the one with black hair (and a yellow dress) mentioned, "Are you enjoying the day?" It was apparent from her voice that they were Italian citizens.

"Very much so!"

"Good."

"Can I assume you are visiting? You have a clear accent… it sounds British," the brown haired girl remarked.

"Beautiful _and_ smart!" Sirius uttered, looking at his best friend.

"Yes, we're on holiday," grinned James as the girls smiled.

"How fun! I hope you are liking Italy so far," the black haired girl told them.

"We've been here three days and it's amazing," he smiled, "I'm Sirius, by the way."

"James," the Chaser stated.

"I am Stella and this is Bianca," the girl in the olive green dress introduced, gesturing. They all shook hands.

"Sirius? An interesting name." Bianca uttered, his hand holding hers.

"I come from an interesting family." Sirius smirked.

"We're not interrupting you girls, are we? From getting somewhere?" James posited.

"Oh no. We are just enjoying the day, like you said." Stella alerted.

"Well! Would you two, perhaps, like to guide a couple of lost tourists around this great city of yours?" Sirius proposed, glancing mirthfully at the captain.

"We'd offer lunch in return." James added, grinning lightly. Bianca and Stella looked at one another, appearing amused as they communicated nonverbally.

"As long as you promise to be gentlemen," smiled Stella after a moment.

"Always, m'lady!" Sirius affirmed.

The two wizards established a bond with the girls after that day. Their first day together had been fun, carefree and flirty—something expected of a summer vacation—and although the boys were leaving for Florence they wanted to continue seeing their female acquaintances. Bianca and Stella met James and Sirius again on their second day in Florence and fifth day in Italy, and the quartet spent all day traversing the city. (The Gryffindors paid for the girls' travel fare to and from the city like the generous people they were). The boys discovered Stella and Bianca were both 18 and attended a local university as first years, and told the girls they were in their final year of secondary education but did not elaborate since they would clearly have to lie and knew little about the Muggle education system.

When it was time for Sirius and James to go to their next destination, Milan, they made a change. Instead of staying three days there like everywhere else and returning to England on the tenth day, they stayed for two days and then went back to Rome on the ninth day in order to see the girls once more. The four teenagers spent their third day together and Sirius and Bianca were noticeably drawn to each other, touching and flirting and laughing more than the previous occasions. After an evening and early night spent drinking wine and talking by the river's front, they all went back to the boys' room. Sirius and Bianca only remained with Stella and James for 15 minutes before Sirius pulled her into the bathroom, grinning roguishly and insisting he had to tell her something important. Bianca went, giggling and blushing, leaving the other couple sitting on the foot of James' bed to look after them in wonder.

"She thinks he is very handsome." Stella revealed, smiling some as she peered at the Chaser. They heard a giggle escape through the closed bathroom door.

"So does he." James quipped, shaking his head. She grinned sweetly.

They endured moments of silence together, hearing Bianca's continued girlish laughs and Sirius' low murmurs, and during this time she scooted a bit closer.

"So…," Stella commenced, shuffling her feet, "I hope you loved Italy."

"I really have. It's wicked here—excellent," he answered, "I want to come back."

"Good," she smiled, looking at him and inching nearer again.

"You know, you should visit England."

"Only if you will be my guide."

"It'd only be fair." James mentioned, giving half a smile. They were quiet again.

"You and Sirius are very special, James." Stella remarked after the brief interlude.

"Yeah?," he vocalized, gazing at her and grinning fully, "Thank you; that's kind. We do all right, I reckon!" She laughed a bit and then said:

"You _are_ gentlemen."

"Not according to our friends back home! We've been told we're on the conceited side."

"Conceited?," Stella pondered, looking at him, "Hmm… well, gentlemen can be conceited, I think."

This time James laughed. They could no longer hear sounds emitting from the bathroom and he did not know what to make of it.

"May I ask you something?" she posited. The girl had moved so close that her knee was now touching his. He noticed this yet did not address or have a problem with it.

"Of course." James responded.

"Have you and Sirius enjoyed our company?"

"Completely."

"Have _you _enjoyed my company?" Stella asked, staring at him.

"Yes," he affirmed, peering back.

"Will you kiss me, then?"

One thousand thoughts and emotions seemed to ignite in James at this inquiry as he stared at her for an elongated period, remaining silent, but in the end the hormonal seventeen year old boy within him was the loudest and won out, so he indulged him. He leaned forward and placed his lips on Stella's and she responded instantly, putting a hand on his neck gently. They kissed softly and warmly for awhile, but when James felt it was beginning to deepen something inside of him broke and he pulled away from her, opening his eyes.

"What, what's wrong?" Stella questioned after he had stopped. She saw the conflicted expression and frown on his face.

"I… I don't think I can do it—keep kissing you," he replied.

"Oh," she murmured, looking down, "Is it… do you not like it, or me?"

"No, that's not it, at all. You're brilliant Stella."

"Well, do you have a girlfriend at home? Is that it? You said you didn't…"

"I don't have one—I haven't for months," James attested, leaning over. He ran a hand through his hair tersely, "But…"

"But?" she prompted kindly, studying him. He exhaled.

"But, there is a girl, and I've liked her for four years now. She's all I can think about half the time and I'd give the world for her to be mine. I don't know _what_ she's done to me."

Stella's face changed at this information as sympathy and understanding appeared to flood her countenance.

* * *

A/N: So the pub scene was longer than I anticipated it being but that's okay; it was fun writing. This chapter has scenarios and references from the TV shows **Reno 911** & **Workaholics** (both on Comedy Central) and the movie **Sweeney Todd**. I love all three of them immensely (hats off if you can spot them). Also, I threw a Greyback appearance in there for a bit of an interesting twist. Kind of a light chapter focusing solely on the Marauders…

They go back to Hogwarts in the next chapter so woo hoo! Lily and James, much? You must be thinking 'finally', ha ha. But, farewell for now. (New reviewers are always welcomed!)


	41. As High As a Broom

A/N: So once again, I typed this chapter in one day. Hmm.

Review shout out time! Much thanks to _ShadowGreymon, Brittany _and _peacock33_! And of course, to all of your readers who continue to read this story and review.

_MiniManga: _your review made me grin like a weirdo. It's humbling to know you think it's such a good Marauder era fic—thank you!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 41 **

"Oh, James," Stella uttered, resting a hand on his knee with empathy, "Does she know you like her?"

"I think she has a good idea," smirked James.

"How does she feel about you?"

"I'm not sure, and it's been killing me." A distinct feminine moan then resounded from the bathroom, causing the pair to glance back at its door. When nothing else was heard they continued speaking.

For the next twenty minutes they talked about Lily. It was utterly unintentional on James' part but he found the words and thoughts simply fell from his mouth, and Stella was genuinely inquisitive and responsive so it was very inviting. It was also nice to have a female's perspective on the matter.

"Well, most girls don't kiss boys they're not attracted to so I think you have hope," she revealed. He grinned.

"Thanks for listening to me Stella, and about another girl no less! I know that's not most girls' idea of a night well spent." James commented, sounding apologetic.

"You have feelings for her; you can't be blamed."

"Yeah, but it's not fair to you. I wish I could've just shut up and snogged you! A part of me really wanted that."

"Snogged?" she repeated, making a confused face.

"It means kiss. A lot," he told her, laughing.

"Oh!"

Noises then resounded from the bathroom again but they were the loudest they had ever been. The pair sat frozen as they heard a few deep grunts come from Sirius, and, many moments later, a breathless, passionate cry issued from Bianca.

"_Sirius_!" she called through the door.

James and Stella sat in silence, staring at each other with incredulity, and a full minute later the door of the bathroom slowly creaked open. It was pointedly quiet following this, and the teenagers on the bed knew better than to look at their friends; they worked to hide smiles on their faces as they sensed the other two walk back into the room.

"Have fun out here?" Sirius posited, approaching the bed. James glanced at his best friend; he looked exceptionally flushed, as did Bianca (although she appeared sheepish and pleased as well).

"Loads," the Chaser stated, grinning. Sirius grinned in return.

Less than 15 minutes later the girls were gone, having vocalized their final goodbyes and wishes the trip was not over to the wizards. The Gryffindors were sad to see them go and knew the young women had made their visit considerably more pleasurable.

"Can't believe we have to leave tomorrow, Jamesy! It's tragic." Sirius reported, lying back on his bed with his hands behind his head. He looked extremely smug and James sat on his own bed, studying him critically.

"What?" he questioned when he noticed the captain was not speaking.

"You know what." James replied.

" 'Fraid I don't. What's up?"

"Don't play that act with me—you know damn well you have to tell me what happened in that loo!"

Sirius laughed heartily.

"We talked, is all. Got to know each other better," he relayed, smirking.

"Bullocks, Sirius!" James retorted.

"It was nothing, really!"

"Nothing huh? Because those _sounds_ seemed a lot more than nothing! Silencing Charms do exist, you know."

Sirius did not reply, merely shrugged, but his best friend was not having it.

"You shagged her, didn't you? You shagged her and now you're being a twit and refusing to tell me!" James insisted animatedly. The other teenager laughed once more and sat up.

"All right all right, don't wet yourself! I'll tell you the sordid details!," he smirked, knowing he had always planned on telling James about his tryst in the bathroom. The two Gryffindors stayed awake for another two hours, talking about their time well spent in Italy the last hour before drifting off to sleep and welcoming the following day in which they would return to England.

There was no reply from Albus Dumbledore when James and Sirius arrived at Potter manor, simply a happy and inquisitive set of parents wanting to know all about their trip. The issue of Head Boy brought him back to reality and he contemplated writing to Lily again, to speak about this _and_ their snogging, but knew he would finally see her in five days at King's Cross. (This made him both very eager and nervous). With very little time before they boarded the Express for the start of their seventh year, the boys had no remaining free time. They went to Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies on Thursday, which included new robes since both had gotten a bit taller, and spent the entire weekend furnishing and visiting Sirius' apartment. Peter and Remus came on Saturday to hear about their Italian vacation and the Marauders spent their first night sleeping in Sirius' new home.

When James awoke early morning on September second he felt an anxiety he had never experienced before. This was the day of so much change: his first official day as Head Boy, the day he would see Lily and the headmaster following numerous weeks, his last day living with Sirius at Potter manor, and the first day of his final year at Hogwarts. He felt like he was being forced to grow up and it was a very odd, foreign feeling. Harold rented a car from the Ministry so he and his wife could drive the boys to the train station, an excuse to have more time with them, and when the quartet arrived at Platform 9 ¾ it was only to see an unusual addition: Aurors. The law enforcement wizards stood strategically throughout the platform, watching over the activity and students diligently.

"Should we be worried they're here? Was there word of an attack?" Sirius questioned, eyeing them along with James.

"No," Mr. Potter shook his head, "The Ministry is merely being cautious. Crouch and Walterborne are taking no chances. You remember Aaron Collins being found under the Imperius a few days ago… things are getting worse with each day."

His son nodded solemnly. A Ministry employee who worked for the Department of International Magical Cooperation had been discovered working under the Unforgivable Curse by Alastor Moody days previously, attempting to get significantly discriminatory legislation against Muggleborns passed.

"Voldemort is gaining power easily." Sirius sighed.

"Harold, Vivienne!" a male voice then hailed. The group turned to see Remus approaching them with his parents, all of the Lupins wearing smiles.

"John!" Harold greeted kindly, shaking the man's hand firmly.

"How are you Rhonda?" Mrs. Potter asked, kissing Mrs. Lupin's left cheek.

"Lovely, Vivienne. You?" she responded.

"Moony," grinned James as Sirius playfully shoved Remus.

"Prongs, Padfoot," the prefect said happily.

"Pete here yet?" wondered Sirius.

"Not from what I've seen."

The Lupins and Potters spoke for ten minutes with James keeping a surreptitious eye out for Lily the entire time. When the Express had ten minutes before it left the four parents sent the three Marauders on their way, forlorn to see them go.

"This is the last time we do this." John noted nostalgically, watching them walk away.

"I know. Where has time gone?" Vivienne uttered, dabbing at her eyes.

"Look at them—we're sending _men_ off to Hogwarts." Harold noted. Rhonda hugged her husband tightly as she sighed at the sight of her son and his friends.

"We should find the girls and Frank once we're moving." Sirius mentioned once they had claimed a compartment and put their things overhead.

"What about Peter? We leave in five minutes and I haven't seen him." Remus commented, peering out a window.

"Guess he'll be missing his last year at school! Oh well."

James stared at the opposite bench thinking about his Head Boy position now that he was actually aboard the train.

"There's a prefect meeting in an hour, to introduce the new Heads," he stated somewhat fretfully. They looked at him.

"Yes," Remus confirmed, "But you'll be fine, James. You'll just assign shifts for patrolling the Express and then announce the first meeting we'll have at school. Of course, you'll want to talk to Lily about it…"

The captain peered at him as did Sirius.

"Yeah—Lily…" he muttered.

"Finally get to talk to her, mate," his best friend revealed softly.

"I know. But there's so much to say that I don't know _what_ to say!"

"It'll come to you," assured Remus.

Peter came hustling into their compartment a minute after the train had taken off, appearing frazzled and hauling his luggage with him.

"And here we thought we'd have one less roommate for the year!" Sirius remarked lazily. James smiled.

"What happened?" the prefect pondered.

"Mum and I both woke up late. I nearly missed it," Peter attested, shaking his head and putting away his possessions, "Why were there Aurors there?"

"Dad said because the Ministry is getting worried about all of the dark activity. Remember Collins?" James vocalized. Peter nodded gravely.

"Nothing seems safe anymore. I worry about my mum being alone, a-and being a pureblood; they might come after her, to recruit her. Ever since Dad died I've felt the need to watch out for her but it's hard," he relayed in a quiet voice.

His friends gazed at him with a sad compassion. They understood his predicament—Donald Pettigrew had passed away when Peter was 10, leaving a young boy scared and with a lot of unforeseen expectations and responsibility. Years later it was still affecting him.

"We know, Pete." Remus affirmed quietly.

"And it's our last year. After this…"

"After this we still have each other, in spite of He-Who-Is-A-Major-Twit." Sirius remarked. The other Marauders looked at him with amused and grateful smiles.

It only took a quarter of an hour before the rest of the Gryffindor seventh years found and merged with the infamous quartet and they were all pleased to see one another.

"We didn't see you lot in Diagon Alley this year!" Alice notified.

"Yeah, we went earlier than everyone else." Sirius revealed.

"Have good summers?" Mary inquired, grinning at Remus.

"Very good," he replied, smiling.

"The best!," Sirius declared, "Wicked holiday in Italy _and_ a new flat!"

"Oy, you wanker! Congratulations!" Dorcas bid, swatting his arm.

"Good for you Sirius!" Frank said chirpily.

"I didn't get around to having everyone over to see it but I will for Christmas." Sirius claimed.

"Where are Lily and Marlene?" Peter posited, glancing at James.

"Oh, they're coming. Should be here any minute." Mary answered.

"I want to hear about India, Dorcas." Sirius announced.

"I'll get to that," she attested, looking at James, "But I want to know something first. I've heard, from Frank, Alice and Lily, that _you_ are Head Boy, James Potter. Is it true?"

It became rather silent as they all peered at him and he felt his breath hitch somewhat, returning the gaze.

"I, er…," he commenced, "Uh, yeah. It's true. I'm… Head Boy." He then pulled the badge out of his shorts' pocket and held it out for them to see. Frank smiled proudly as the girls moved closer to inspect it, making excited noises and talking at the same time.

"James, this is excellent! I'm happy for you!" Alice cooed.

"Can't say I saw it coming but good for you, Potter!" Mary acknowledged.

"_No one_ saw it coming. Still think Remus is the best choice." James responded.

"It's fine. You're a good bloke, James." Remus smiled.

"I wonder _why_ you got it. You weren't even a prefect!" Dorcas commented, looking a bit puzzled.

"Trust me Dorcas, I'm on the same broom! And I'm asking Dumbledore all about it when I see him." James remarked.

"He's still freaked out about getting it but we keep telling him he'll be a smashing Head Boy." Sirius reported, shaking his head some.

"Doesn't believe us." Peter added.

"Well you should because they're right, James," smiled Frank, "The authority at Hogwarts knows what they're doing."

"The perks of having a Gryffindor Head Boy _and_ Girl! It's going to be a good year." Mary noted.

James felt his stomach flop at the mention of the Head Girl. Dorcas started her tale of her Indian vacation shortly thereafter but he only partially listened and only remained in the compartment for another five minutes; there was half an hour before the prefects' meeting but he wanted to be alone in that compartment to sort through his thoughts and rally his lion courage to face Lily and the prefects. When he was outside the door and had taken a few steps he was stopped by Alice, whom had jogged after him.

"Alice, what is it?" he asked, looking her over. She did not reply but threw her arms around his middle and bestowed him with a tight, brief hug, shutting her eyes.

"What?—" the captain began, chuckling as she pulled away.

"You are going to be fine, James," Alice alerted, looking up at him, "Not just with Head Boy but with everything, with every_one_. Don't worry." The blonde then went back inside the carriage, leaving him with the impression she had been implying about Lily and causing him to smile thankfully.

* * *

Lily walked through the locomotive's carpeted hallways, playing with the hem of her dress and heading for the prefects' compartment. She had just been to the car where her House's year was, initially giving the boys affectionate hellos, but soon to realize that James was not present among them. She had spent all morning readying herself to see James, to speak to him after years of separation, and her first expectation of facing him had been shot. Lily did not remain with her Housemates for more than a couple minutes before she made her trek to the prefects' carriage. Could he be there? She had to find him so they could discuss what to tell the prefects, and there was a chance he was in that compartment but if not she would merely wait for him. The red head had been surprised that James had not sent her another letter after the third like she had assumed he would and it left her feeling somewhat bothered. Had he grown tired of writing her or had the impact of getting Head Boy thrown him for a loop? However, she knew that her non-existent replies to his first two letters gave her no room to feel this way since she had all but ignored him.

_If he's not in here where could he be?_, Lily asked herself, continuing to fidget with her dress. _Maybe with dear Detz_, another voice sneered. She scowled at this as she approached her destination.

Had James also written to the Hufflepuff witch over the summer? She profusely hoped he had not while she stood in front of the door, staring at it. _If he did I bet _Cathy _at least wrote back_. Lily did not even argue against the insidious voice this time as she stayed rooted in her spot, frowning a tad. She had never felt a desire to both see and not see the Quidditch captain at the same time to this degree.

James sat with his arms on his knees, gazing down while he rolled his wand in between his hands. He was the only person in the prefects' compartment. Would the other prefects respect him—_should_ they? The other seventh year males would likely take his appointment as a slap in the face… he sighed. For the first time in his life James was anything but confident.

The door then clicked open and his head instantly snapped up to see who was entering the chamber. His heart had originally halted but when he saw Lily standing there, appearing surprised, it beat out of control.

It was James. He _was_ here… and he was studying her as he sat there motionless. Lily's own heart skipped a beat, or two, or five, as she participated in their staring contest. He had his wand out and her eyes jumped to his appearance; he was wearing long, khaki cargo shorts and a navy blue shirt with some kind of writing in white on it (her brain could not work out what it said because it seemed to have stopped working). He looked good—fit from an active summer—and her observation made her want to blush so, for the first time, she looked away. When Lily peered back up, James was standing.

She looked nothing short of beautiful to him. She was not dressed extravagantly, adorned in a white summer dress and the birthday necklace from her parents, yet she was stunning. Her hair had grown a fair amount and her green eyes were like magnets with the force of their alluring pull. James wanted so badly to touch her.

"Hello," he greeted in a low voice, breaking the silence.

"Hi." Lily answered sheepishly, feeling like a small girl.

It was quiet again as they appraised each other.

"I-I was in your compartment earlier but you'd already left," she noted.

"Yes. I came here," he replied.

"Well, at least now you can say you're more than a captain when you're caught in here!"

It was an attempt at a light joke but it did not make James smile or laugh; instead, it reminded him of reality and erased the delirious pleasure of seeing her.

"Yep. Head Boy." James murmured, looking down.

"James—" she started after another pause.

"Lily, I know you were probably horrified when you read that it was me. I mean, I couldn't accept it so I can only imagine how you felt. I know I don't deserve this and you'd probably rather work with loads of blokes over me. I wrote to Dumbledore over the summer, three times in fact, but he didn't say much beyond confirming that it was me. We have to meet with him after dinner, you know, and I'm going to talk to him, maybe see if he'll pick someone else… this isn't for me," he explained in a resigned voice, cutting her off. Lily stared at him, stunned. That is how he felt about the situation?

"Well, I won't lie," the red head began, "I _was_ really surprised to know you were Head Boy. I-I even waited for you to write to me about it once you found out I was Head Girl, but you didn't…"

"I had no idea what to say to you, that's why."

She nodded and then posited:

"James, is that how you really feel about being Head Boy? That it's not meant for you?"

"Should I feel any other way? I wasn't a prefect, I spent most of my time at Hogwarts misbehaving—how does that equate to a badge?" he answered, looking at her. He _did_ have a point….

"I understand… but do you _not_ want it?," Lily inquired. He shrugged, breaking eye contact, "Or are you afraid?" There was elongated silence before he responded.

"It's so much responsibility, and one one's gonna take me seriously—listen to me. And with good reason."

"Well why wouldn't they? You _are_ a leader, people _do_ look up to you—in Quidditch, classes, around the corridors. And you've grown up so much, James… the headmaster probably realized this so chose you. He knows you have the qualities to be Head Boy," she told him.

"Well, the other prefects are definitely going to be outraged." James offered.

"Don't worry about them. Besides, the ones who will raise the most hell are the Slytherins and that's no surprise to anyone!"

There was another stint where they were quiet but it did not last long.

"So… _you_ don't mind that I'm Head Boy, that you'll have to work with me?" he questioned.

"I have no reason to mind, and a lot of faith in you, James." Lily half smiled. For the first time since she had stepped inside he did not look doubtful or remorseful, and he gave her a smile that was full of gratitude and joy.

"So, about rounds!" she commenced, changing gears slightly.

"Oh, right," acknowledged James, "Well, I was thinking about how to divide them up and, since we've got eight hours left and four Houses, thought we could just give every one two hours of duty."

"Okay."

"And you know we don't have to patrol, which is a perk, so just give every year about 20 minutes to round the train. Twenty minutes for the fifth years, sixth years, and seventh."

"That works perfectly." Lily said, the small smile still on her lips. He grinned briefly.

"Oh, what about the first meeting back at Hogwarts? When do… the Heads normally have it?" the captain pondered.

"Within the first few days, just so we can get the prefects patrolling the castle fairly quickly; Filch manages the first few days on his own."

"Right."

"I thought we could set it for the second day of classes. Half past eight," the witch alerted.

"Sounds great." James stated brightly.

"Excellent."

Well discussing those topics as Heads had been very easy and agreeable, and if this was a testament to how they would work together then both of them felt notably good about it. James grinned lightly as he gazed at Lily; her words of encouragement and amiable attitude were making him feel like his typical self. Now that school business had been taken care of he could broach other subjects, ones that were more personal and involved her.

"How did your summer turn out?" he asked.

"Oh! Erm…," she uttered, rather startled, "Uneventful. I didn't do anything, really. I went to the beach twice, Diagon Alley once, not counting for school supplies… drab. Lots of time spent with my sister and her boyfriend."

"Yeah… that's cruel."

Lily laughed a bit and then wondered:

"And you?"

"It was good! Sirius finally found a flat and he moved in this past weekend; he's as high as a broom over it. We _all_ are, actually." James admitted.

"That's brilliant! Where is it?" she prompted.

"In Camden."

"And how was your holiday in Italy?"

"Fantastic," he affirmed, sporting a broad grin. From his smile, she believed it.

She wanted to know what he had done: where he had gone, what he had seen, whom he had met, if they had been interesting. Lily then realized there may be something more to his grin; he was a charming boy in late adolescence roaming a country without parents and only his best friend for company, whom was equally as charming. The chance that he had met a girl or two during his trip was likely…. This recognition stole much of her pleasant feelings and led her to think about how James had written to her over the vacation and she had barely answered him, and here she stood now as though nothing was wrong or had happened. Lily began to feel inadequate and guilty and was suddenly aware that she was alone in a room with James Potter—the last time that happened there had been unintended actions of a physical nature. Ones she had been avoiding talking about with him.

"That's good! Well, uh, I-I think I'm going to go now," she mentioned, feeling very hot and vulnerable.

"What? But the meeting starts soon!" he pointed out, furrowing his brow, perplexed.

"I know, but, I've left something and I'm just going to nip it! I'll be back."

Lily turned around and closed her eyes, silently cursing herself for her abrupt lack of composure. Damn him! Or was it damn her? She thought her hands felt sweaty when she reached for the doorknob yet when she pulled on it, four times to be precise, it did not open. It was locked, something she was _sure_ she had not done when coming in.

Lily smelled him before she saw him. James' personal scent wholly engulfed her senses and she was thrown forcefully back to the night they had kissed, back to his birthday night, back to when she had first smelled her love potion. She let out a small gasp from the sheer force of it and how it made her knees feel ridiculously weak; it had been months since she experienced his endearing smell. A large, warm hand was then covering hers on the door handle and Lily bit her lip, her eyes closed. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Neither of them was speaking but when she felt his left arm circle around her waist, she turned around to face him with another small gasp.

James maintained his position although she had turned around. He stared somberly into her face and she gazed back, breathless, terrified and excited. Lily noted that he had gotten taller over the summer and wondered when he would cease growing.

"You've been avoiding me," he muttered, eyes taking her all in.

"I… I-I'm sorry," she whispered, not bothering to deny it.

"All summer."

"Y-Yes."

"I just wanted to talk about what happened." James relayed in a quiet voice, languidly brushing his nose against hers. The tenderness of his action made her heart stop.

"I know." Lily breathed, observing his hazel eyes beginning to darken.

In the next instance he was kissing her. Her sharp inhale did not escape her mouth as James' lips enveloped hers and he stepped closer, pressing her securely against the door. Lily felt her resolve and body melt into goo as she returned the kiss with urgent need, her hands going to clutch his shoulders. To hell with it all! She had been evading this spectacular sensation for weeks on end? What was wrong with her! Once more she felt like she did not want it to end, but after about 30 seconds the captain pulled away.

"You hardly wrote me back." James stated, resting his forehead down on hers as he caught his breath, eyes shut.

"I know…" Lily admitted, frowning sadly.

"Why?"

"I…," How would she put this?, "James, I-I was scared."

"Being scared isn't like you," he told her.

"You make me feel so many things," she replied.

His eyes flew open and held hers. They peered pointedly at one another for a moment before both of his arms wrapped firmly around her middle and he was kissing her again, but with more vigor. Lily was flush right against the door with little room to move due to his body pressed stubbornly against hers, but the red head did not care; all that mattered to her was that his lips were back on hers. Her hands moved upward and became contently tangled in his dark hair as her arms snaked around his neck. It did not take long before James' tongue was seeking entrance into her mouth and she yielded immediately, doing her best to contain a whimper that wanted to leave her throat. Why did he make her react like this? Lily was almost certain he had better control of his physical responses.

The Head Boy and Girl had been exchanging intense kisses for well over a minute before they were interrupted. James had just begun placing his lips behind her left ear and holding the back of her neck, and Lily was biting her swollen bottom lip again when the door handle turned and rattled unsuccessfully. Her eyes became as wide as saucers and his mouth dropped open as they instantly froze in place. Someone was trying to get in… the meeting!

"It's locked!" a witch proclaimed.

James rapidly tore away from Lily and moved back to his original spot as she got off the door and hurriedly smoothed out her hair and the parts of her dress he had been gripping. She would have to put a lid on her jumbled emotions to interact with the prefects and could not believe she had just snogged James Potter for a second time! The compartment's door was pushed open only moments later and Remus, Marlene, Bruce and Gloria Lovell (the seventh year Hufflepuff female prefect) walked inside, taking notice of the already present occupants.

"James!," his fellow Marauder remarked, surprised, "Did you know the door was locked? Gloria had to use magic."

"Oh, was it really? No! I, uh, I had no idea," he lied, trying his best to appear unassuming as he shrugged. Lily quickly glanced at him.

"Potter, what are you doing in here, with Lily?" Gloria asked.

"Yeah. There's a prefect meeting about to start." Bruce supplemented. James looked uncomfortable and self-conscious as he peered at them and Marlene and Remus opened their mouths to say something, yet it was the Head Girl who spoke out first.

"He has a reason for being here, actually. A good one. It's probably just better to wait for everyone to get here so we don't have to keep answering the same question," she explained. The Chaser looked at her appreciatively.

"All right," Bruce consented, "I'm just waiting to see whether Hamilton or Rosier got Head Boy since neither of us did." James gazed at the floor with unease as Remus gave a small frown out of sympathy. He knew his friend was still very worried about his newfound position.

"Lily, Marlene told me you're Head Girl. Congratulations!" bid Gloria.

"Thank you Gloria." Lily smiled.

"Wait, Marlene: are you the new—" James began, suddenly recognizing her presence.

"Gryffindor prefect for seventh year? Yes!" she interjected, beaming proudly.

"Well that's wicked!"

All of her Housemates grinned at her and her boyfriend took her hand in his, squeezing it.

"Hopefully you'll be a much better partner than Lily was, Marlene; she was dreadful," joked Remus, smirking. They all laughed in good humor.

It did not take long before all 20 prefects were in the carriage, and once they were, James felt exceedingly anxious. He peered around at them speaking to one another while wearing a small grimace and was quiet.

"Okay everyone, it's time to begin!," Lily commenced over the chatter, raising an arm. The others turned to look at her, "Hello! And to the new fifth years, welcome and congratulations!" They glanced at everyone bashfully and then Tracy Mackavely, a seventh year Ravenclaw, spoke out.

"So are you Head Girl, Lily?" she inquired.

"Why are you assuming it's _her_?" Winifred Flagstone retorted, frowning and standing near the other Slytherins.

"Because she was the one talking, Flagstone. And because it isn't me and I know it's not you."

There were a few murmurs but Lily cut across.

"Well, yes—I am Head Girl," she attested, holding her hands in front of her dress. More muttering began and some prefects started smiling and wishing her congratulations; Rosier and Flagstone, however, seemed outraged.

"_No_!" the witch grumbled, stamping her foot.

"What about Head Boy!" a sixth year Hufflepuff shouted. The talking got louder as the prefects' interest rose. James felt himself gulp.

"Yes, who is it!," Rosier demanded, a bite in his tone, stepping forward, "Is it you Hamilton, Bowyer? Or is it precious Lupin?"

"Nope." Bruce vocalized, shrugging.

"Not me." Marcus said, shaking his head.

"Nor me," mentioned Remus, glancing at his roommate.

"That's impossible! Who is it, then?," Rosier noted, looking befuddled, "One of you must be lying!"

Conversation broke out as the kids started on the topic of the invisible Head Boy and questioned the seventh year males. Lily knew she had to regain control and then divulge there was a Head Boy, and it was James Potter.

"Hey! There _is_ a Head Boy, everyone! I need it to quiet down and then we can introduce him!" the red head declared, raising her voice.

"Why are Potter and McKinnon here?" a sixth year Gryffindor pondered curiously as the volume decreased. The attention switched to them as their presence was registered.

"Well, Marlene is the new seventh year prefect—"

"And _I_ am Head Boy." James quietly answered, holding up his badge.

The room was absolutely silent. Everyone but Lily and Remus was staring at James, and they were trying to gauge the others' reactions. No one spoke for awhile.

"_What_?" Rosier eventually hissed, shattering the quietness.

"Yes… James is Head Boy." Lily affirmed. It continued to be silent so the Head Girl figured it was a good time as any to explain how rounds were going to work for the ride.

People kept on gazing at and appraising James as Lily spoke and he peered back, understanding their astonishment completely. Rosier, on the other hand, looked nothing short of livid as he stared at his enemy.

"So the Hufflepuffs will be first, then Slytherin, Gryffindor, and finally Ravenclaw," Lily claimed. She then looked at James, "Anything else?"

"Er, yes," he started, glancing at her, "We're going to have the first prefect meeting the second day of classes at 8:30, so, be aware. It's, erm, mandatory. So… any questions?"

They all seemed to be bursting with unspoken questions but it was a fifth year badger who raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"You've never been a prefect, right? So how did you get Head Boy?" she posited. Remus and Lily glanced at her then looked at James like everyone else.

"Believe me—I've been wondering that same thing for weeks and plan to ask Professor Dumbledore about it tonight," he replied, hands in his pockets.

"Right! So, meeting adjourned. Be ready for your patrols!" Lily bid. The students then started moving and talking once more about the new Heads as they left, and three or four approached James for further discussion. Rosier left the compartment immediately, stalking out, and Lily asked Marlene to walk with her alone back to their car.

"Going back with Lily?" Bruce wondered.

"Yes. I'll come by later," his girlfriend said. He nodded and kissed her on the cheek, then exited with two of his Housemates.

"I have to tell you something," the red head muttered.

"All right." Marlene consented.

Lily glanced back at James and Remus, whom were still talking to the handful of prefects, then she and her dorm mate left the room.

* * *

A/N: So I'm wondering if anyone has noticed James' favorite color yet? (And no—it is not green). I haven't said it but rather make him wear the color a lot, if that helps. Subliminal hints, you know? Anyway, they snogged again! Yay! See what happens for them next in chapter 42…

For those couple of readers who mentioned the Marauders taking drugs in the last chapter, it wasn't meant to be too serious or anything. They're boisterous teenagers who like to take risks and it's set in the 70s—people did all sorts of crazy things in the 70s, like taking drugs. Lol. I'll be back to post soon enough, dear readers. Marauders' speed!


	42. Follies of Youth

A/N: Yes, James' favorite color is blue! Ha ha ha ha. (It's also mine!) I think he would look damn good in that color, so, why not? Review shout out time: I thank _Harry fanfic_ and _hayley06 _for their reviews!

_Aeiry: _So you noticed he liked blue before I brought that up last chapter? How observant! It also tickles me to know you enjoy how I write their kissing scenes; there will be many more in the future, lol.

_HPHGfan: _Yes, James (in general) _is_ always adorable so I'm glad I met that standard in your eyes.

I love all of your reviews and embrace and wait for more. They keep me going!

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 42**

"I'm making this hole for myself even deeper, Marlene." Lily quietly relayed as they walked down the train's halls.

"What do you mean? What hole?" the brunette answered, peering at her.

"The one involving James."

"_Oooh_!... well, what happened? Were you talking to him before the meeting?"

"Er, a bit, yes," she stated. She looked around to make sure no one was around them, "I snogged him again, Marlene! B-But he started it!"

Marlene's mouth fell open and she instantly ceased walking, her eyes as wide as tires.

"_Lily_!" she squeaked, grabbing her friend's upper arm.

"I _know_, I know! It's becoming… habit! I don't know what's going on!"

"Well did you talk? Or was it just kissing?"

"No, we talked!... in between kissing!," the red head said fretfully. They were speaking in hushed voices, "We didn't get to discuss much, though."

"Lily, you _must_ talk to James about… all of this! An actual conversation! Take time out and face it; there is certainly something there!" Marlene advised. Her roommate nodded dazedly.

"You're right. I'm going to be working with him now, seeing him even more—I have to figure things out! I don't think snogging him every time we're alone is necessarily going to fix things."

Marlene smiled knowingly and then remarked:

"We have to tell Alice; she'll be beside herself!"

Back in the prefects' compartment it was only the two Marauders left. (The other students wanting to speak to James had departed moments before).

"Well let's get back to Sirius and Peter—you know they'll want to hear how Rosier reacted to you." Remus relayed, moving for the door. His friend, however, stopped him by grabbing the back of his maroon shirt.

"What—"

"Moony, I snogged Lily. Again." James commented, cutting him off. The prefect appeared shocked as he gazed at the Head Boy, his mouth open somewhat. He turned around.

"When!" Remus demanded.

"Right before you lot got here. We were talking about duties, then our summers, then… I kissed her! I had to! She just looked so pretty and she kept smiling at me, and I hadn't seen her in months! S-So she must feel _something_ for me, right? What you and Padfoot were saying at that pub! It's not just me being hopeful?"

"Well, I!... y-you two were snogging seconds before we got here?"

"Yes! Remus, what does it mean? Tell me! You're the intuitive one!" James remarked a tad desperately. His dorm mate took a moment before replying, getting over the surprise of the admission and sighing.

"Lily has to feel something for you if she kissed you again, and with months of not seeing or really talking to you. You _have_ to get her alone so you can work all of this out, Prongs." Remus alerted.

"I know. I _will_. When we get to the castle…"

The prefect looked at his friend seriously for a few moments and then a smirk crept onto his face.

"Can you imagine everyone walking in on the Head Boy and Girl glued together by the lips?," he posited, "What an introduction!"

"That's why the door was locked." James said, grinning.

Rosier was fuming as he stalked into the compartment holding all of his companions and fellow male seventh years, and he hurled the door shut as he glowered at them. They noticed his state of anger.

"You won't believe this shite!" he told them heatedly.

"Uh oh—Evan's cursing!" Mulciber jabbed, smiling smugly. Gates chuckled.

"What?" Avery question, peering at the blond.

"Head Boy and Head Girl." Rosier growled out. His dorm mates gazed at him.

"Don't tell me they gave it to damn Lupin!" Gates said, speaking up. Snape appeared highly offended; not the ruddy werewolf!

"No! Trust me, that pansy would've been fifty times better than whom they chose!"

"Better than Hamilton or Bowyer?" pondered Avery, furrowing his brow. Rosier shook his head and clenched his fists.

"Neither of them," he revealed hotly.

"Then who—" Mulciber began.

"Potter! The Head Boy is bloody _Potter_!"

They gawked at him, astounded. It took a stint of time for his words to wrap around their brains yet when it did they became just as incensed as he. Mulciber jumped up from his seat, roaring in outrage as Avery's hands tightly gripped the newspaper he had been reading, a snarl on his countenance. Severus was nothing less than livid as he studied the prefect, feeling the blood pound throughout his veins while all of him would not accept this new knowledge.

"No, no. That can't be. He wasn't a prefect—that doesn't work out. He's been in detention for most of the time at Hogwarts! No. There's no way. He's dreadful; it can't be. Not Potter. You have to be a prefect. _Not_ Potter!" Snape rambled.

"Well it is! The pompous twit didn't even know how he got the badge but he definitely has it! It's criminal! And that mouthy Mudblood is Head Girl, to make it even worse! The bleeding Gryffindors: Potter and _Evans_! I'm going to be SICK!" Rosier spat, pacing.

"A Mudblood as Head Girl?" Mulciber uttered in a low, malicious voice. At the mention of Lily, Snape's raging anger seemed to dissipate and be replaced with numbness. She was Head Girl?... meant to work with _that_ wizard? He suddenly felt cold.

"Evans! I won't answer to her, listen to her! She doesn't deserve it!" noted Gates.

"Putting her—them!—in charge! The staff at Hogwarts is mocking us, insulting the Dark Lord's message and values! We cannot stand for this." Avery commented bitterly.

"And we won't!" snarled Mulciber.

"No, we won't—not as students _or_ Death Eaters. It's despicable. I plan to talk to that man we call a headmaster when I step foot on the school's grounds; he will hear about this!" Rosier attested.

Severus peered at the carpet, frowning in great dissatisfaction. His Lily was Head Girl, bound to contend with prejudice and resentment because of her blood status (like that of which his roommates were displaying), and he worried for her safety. The times were growing increasingly more sinister, with Voldemort rising in power, and her "kind" was becoming more of a noticeable target. And then she would be mandated to work side by side with the abomination of a Head Boy they had selected! Snape felt his rage return when he thought of James receiving that position. _Why_?

The young Death Eater's summer had been much more active than any other one prior. He had spent most of his days away from home, only there during the late hours of the night to sleep in his bed, if even that. Tobias Snape had attempted to control his son's behaviors and goings the third day back but Severus had quickly quelled that with aggressive words and a display of magic. It had been his father's first and last attempt at exerting power over his son's actions. All of his time was spent in service to the Dark Lord and with other Death Eaters that warm vacation, and it had been somewhat exhilarating, giving him a sense of power purpose. There had been multiple gatherings to attend, tasks and deeds to complete, new prospects to engage, and attacks to participate in, all secret and ominous in nature. The younger Avery and Rosier had finally become a part of the cause in June much to their fathers' pleasure, and their two dorm mates were also glad they were all in the same predicament now, albeit Gates. Due to the four Slytherins' recent membership and relatively young age they were not privy to everything other Death Eaters were, but they still knew a vast amount of information regarding Voldemort's plans and did their part. And now that they were returning to school they were expected to be staunch supporters of his agenda, vocal and striving to convert other students.

"I'll come with you. I want to hear what that codger has to say! Avery said to the prefect.

"We'll _all _confront him! Severus, are you with us?" Mulciber added. Snape's four roommates all looked at him.

He knew what they were thinking: they were concerned he was worried about Lily. And yes, while she was a factor on his mind he was much more focused on Potter's appointment; it filled him with extreme loathing.

"Yes. I can't accept Potter as Head Boy!" Snape stated, glaring. Rosier nodded with approval and sat down.

The seventh year Gryffindors were quite happy to be reunited as a unit once more and did what they typically did on Express rides: regularly visit one another's compartments. When James and Remus returned after the meeting and it was initially only the boys, the former found some parchment in order to covertly write to Sirius about his second snogging with Lily. The paper was magicked so that when one wrote on his sheet it appeared on the other's and vis versa, and the two corresponded while Remus told Peter and Frank about the prefects' reaction to James. The witches came back after half an hour, making the room much less free of space but they were pleased to have the entire year present for the first time since the train left. James was surprised but happy to see Lily among her friends; he would have thought her impromptu snog session might have kept her out of his path again. She smiled sheepishly when she spotted him and took a seat next to Dorcas while Remus contently ate his chocolate from Italy (of which he was running out). The teenagers spoke more in depth about their summers and Sirius, James and Dorcas found themselves discussing more details of their trips. Lily listened intently as the two best friends spoke about their vacation and discussion then turned to James and Lily as the Heads and their Housemates avidly talked about this for awhile.

"Has that ever been done? Making a non-prefect Head Boy?" Frank questioned, looking around. Alice was perched in his lap.

"I don't think so… but, I think there's a legitimate way James got the position." Remus offered.

"How?" Mary inquired, seated next to him. Her hair was straightened once more and she wore a purple blouse.

"Yeah, how?" James said, interested. There were a few laughs.

"Prongs, you're _captain_ remember?" Remus began. Comprehension dawned on some of them.

"Same privileges as a prefect! Oh, of course!" Marlene noted, smiling.

"Yes! You said it all the damn time last year!" grinned Sirius.

"That's right…" James murmured, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Well that should make you feel better James!" Dorcas noted. Lily smiled to herself.

"It kind of does."

"Hey Moony, can I get a piece?" Peter asked casually, referring to the chocolate.

"Uh… I, er, I sneezed on it! You wouldn't want any." Remus answered, holding the bar to him protectively. Peter frowned while Sirius burst out laughing along with a couple others.

For the rest of the time the girls spent in the Marauders' compartment during the journey to Hogwarts, James found that his gaze would always stray to Lily. The pair had not given its friends any indication that things were different between them, that they had made out not long ago in an empty compartment; they were not acting strangely and spoke to each other in front of their Housemates. However, this did not keep them from obsessively thinking about the other in their heads and it certainly did not keep James from looking at her. In fact, he gazed at Lily a lot when not conversing with someone and she noticed. She did her best to not look back and it was fairly easy—she did not want to be caught returning the stare or risk blushing as red as a tomato. Did he realize he was staring? Did he want her to catch his eye? What was he thinking? For Lily, his blatant attention was like being back in fifth year except this time it made her knees weak. Neither Head seemed to also observe the occasional mirthful, knowing smiles directed at them from the remaining Marauders, Alice and Marlene. Lily and James both knew that they had an imminent, important discussion awaiting them at school.

* * *

The train exploded with the shocking news of the new Head Boy and by the time the locomotive pulled into the Hogsmeade station every student was aware. Marlene had done well on her first rounds as a prefect although she and Remus had been asked to confirm James' spot as Head Boy on a regular basis as they roamed the halls.

"It looks good, mate." Frank smiled as James, dressed in school robes, pinned on his badge. The boys had just stepped off the Express with the rest of their Hogwarts peers.

The captain exhaled and nodded, grinning nervously. The Gryffindors then noticed their Slytherin counterparts walk by them, all glaring malignantly at James and shaking their heads in repulsion. Their disapproval was clear.

"What a fluke." Regulus scoffed, who happened to be with the seventh years.

"Ignore them, Prongs." Remus directed encouragingly, patting James on the back. Sirius watched his brother go with an irate snarl on his face.

"If you would've told me I was dating the future Head Boy three years ago, I would've asked how sloshed you were," a voice commented on their left. The dorm mates turned to see Emma Seigal along with two of her friends (one of whom happened to be Abigail Holland).

"So, is that a good or bad thing?" questioned James. His ex-girlfriend shrugged, smirking a tad.

"It's just a fact," she responded, "I had to see it for myself—James Potter with _the_ badge. It's all anyone can talk about."

"What would this school do without me? Such a topic of interest!"

Emma smiled, as did his friends.

"Looks kind of good on you Potter, though, you've never had a problem with looking good," the witch alerted. Her gaze shot to Sirius quickly, who looked away, and then she left with only one friend: Abigail had sidled right next to Remus.

"Will you sit with me in a carriage?" she posited sweetly.

" 'Course," he answered, a half smile gracing his face. Abigail grinned and reached up to give him a light kiss on the lips just in time for Mary to see, who was walking closer to the wizards with her friends.

The sight stopped Mary in her tracks. She looked helplessly and imploringly at the witches but before Lily could say or do anything, or even hear the others' words, she was being called away by Hagrid.

"Lily! James! Over here!" the groundskeeper said, waving and being noticed by many.

The red head looked over to her Housemate. James peered back at her and nodded.

"Don't get in the carriages without me," he told Peter and Sirius as he went to meet Hagrid. He waited for Lily at a mutual spot and then they walked over to the half giant together, although in silence and embarrassment. Should he say something about kissing her again without warning… apologize? Well, no—James was _not_ sorry for it.

"Well look at you two—Head Boy an' Girl!" Hagrid commenced jovially when they were near him. There was already a small cluster of nervous first years.

"Cheers, Hagrid!" James greeted fondly.

"I remember when you were _this_ size! An' look now—all grown up, doin' yer last year at Hogwarts! I can't believe is already time!"

"Neither can we, Hagrid," smiled Lily.

"But Head Girl an' Boy on top of it! Two Gryffindors! I'm so proud!," Hagrid continued merrily, "Wanted ta cry when I found out! Always knew you were meant fer it Lily—wonderful, you are—but James? Ha _ha_! What a bloomin' surprise!"

"You're telling me," he uttered.

"Sure, ya might've had a rowdy side to ya when you were younger, but boys will be boys, eh? Ya've grown so much, James—matured. And Merlin knows kids look up ta ya; yer a natural fer Head Boy, and you'll be fine. Professor Dumbledore picked a good wizard for tha job." Hagrid reported.

"That means a lot. Thanks Hagrid." James attested, smiling gratefully.

"Yes, thank you." Lily added, glancing at her partner and wanting to smile as well.

"Well I've gotta herd tha little ones. I'll see ya at the castle!" Hagrid noted. They gave their goodbyes to the half giant and then went back in the direction of their friends.

"See? People believe in you, James," she pointed out.

"Yeah. It helps knowing that," he responded, looking at the ground. His eyes then moved to lock with hers, "Can we talk, after we meet with the headmaster? And I mean really talk… we need to sort things out." Lily closed her eyes as she exhaled, feeling her pulse quicken. Of course they had to—she could no longer hide.

"Yes," the witch consented, nodding twice, "You're right."

"Good." James commented in a quiet voice. He squeezed her left hand, which caused her eyes to shoot open, while he fell out of step with her to rejoin his friends. The anticipation of their much needed talk was going to consume her until it occurred later that night.

The ride to the school was uneventful, although the presence of Aurors was noted once again at the train station and even on the way to Hogwarts. Mary complained to Dorcas and Lily about Abigail much of the way and claimed she had very limited time in which to do something about her feelings for Remus. They agreed.

"I can't see them together. I'm going to have to speak up, or…"

"Lure Holland to the Forbidden Forest. I'm sure the giant spiders will take care of her." Dorcas smirked.

"That's such a rumor, Dorcas," laughed Lily.

Most of the students appeared very eager, relaxed and content to be back in the Great Hall for another feast and school year. Alex Farrell found and spoke with Dorcas for a period before both had to rush to their tables before the Sorting officially began, and Peter watched them with a disgruntled frown from his seat. Sirius' admirers, the now sixth year girls, greeted him jovially with many coy smiles while the Quidditch team pounced on its captain, very interested in his badge.

"Wow James!" awed Mitchell, touching it.

"Look at this! Rigo, what is this? Captain Potter—Head Boy?" Kirby said, shaking his head. (He was now in his fifth year).

"I know! Knock me over with a Bludger!" Rodrigo responded.

"That can be arranged." James promised.

"You'll be fantastic, James, even _these_ two think so!," Elizabeth gushed, referring to the Beaters, "You know how they are."

Kirby and Rodrigo pulled faces at her while James chuckled, but he then switched subjects when he remembered something.

"Oy, Lizzie! I hear you have a boyfriend!" he proclaimed.

"Oh! Well, yes! That!," she answered, reddening somewhat, "Who told you?"

"Dorcas. It happened over the summer holiday?"

"Yes. Chris was writing to me and he told me he fancied me, and… here we are now!"

"That's great. But if he even _thinks_ of breaking your heart and affecting your ability to Keep, he'll have me to deal with!," James assured, "Rodrigo, you're his roommate so I'll expect you to keep an eye on how he treats her. A happy girlfriend is a happy Keeper!"

"Yes sir!" Rodrigo said, saluting. Mitchell and Kirby grinned.

"Ugh! It's always about Quidditch with boys!" Elizabeth scoffed, turning away from them.

After the last first year was placed into his House (Sydney Zimmerman of Slytherin), Dumbledore rose from the High Table to give his expected speech. As he discussed the presence of Aurors that day for their ensured safety and how it was connected to the mounting bleak times, Remus noticed someone sitting among the faculty.

"Hey, Thorne's gone!" he remarked.

"Duh. One year jinx, remember?" Sirius answered, focusing heavily on removing extra thread on his robe sleeve by hand.

"We'll just wait to hear why she left." James mentioned.

"Didn't particularly like her anyway."

"That's only because she gave you about nine thousand detentions, Padfoot. You always did something in her class." Peter alerted.

"All right, but look and see who's in her spot!" Remus tried again before Sirius could speak. Consequently, the headmaster was addressing this very topic at the same time and it got the boys to quiet down.

"And while it makes me feel significant dismay knowing that two of my students will not be returning to Hogwarts this year due to their parents' fear of what is happening in our world, I do find joy in welcoming our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!," Dumbledore announced. Kids craned their necks for better views, "Debra Thorne resigned in July to deal with the tragic death of her father and we will surely miss her. She wishes everyone to know that his passing, while somber, was not the result of dark activity, so worry not."

The Marauders glanced at each other gravely.

"However, we have found a splendid man to replace her in this teaching post and I know he will fit in perfectly at Hogwarts! Join me in welcoming your new teacher: Cecil Boderick!" the headmaster declared.

There was polite applause as the new professor rose from his seat smiling, but the lion seventh year boys were gaping at the man along with a number of other pupils who recognized him.

"That's, that's!" Peter stammered, eyes wide.

"The bloke from Sluggy's Halloween party—the werewolf!" Sirius interjected.

"I tried to tell you!" Remus exclaimed.

"Marlene, do you remember him from last year?" Lily posited excitedly down at their part of the table.

"I do! Merlin, who would've thought he'd be our professor!" she answered.

"What? Who is he?" Mary inquired.

"He knows Slughorn. He's a _werewolf_!" Lily stated. There were gasps.

"Bleeding trolls, that's interesting!" Dorcas said, gawking at Boderick.

"Mr. Boderick is quite eager to work with you young ones and I am positive you will find him to be a wonderful addition to the teaching staff." Dumbledore relayed.

"Defense is _sure_ to be interesting this year!" James predicted.

"Right." Remus vocalized, gazing at the other werewolf.

The headmaster finished up his announcements and ten minutes later the children's meal began. The Head Boy and Girl found that most of their House was keen on discussing their new titles while they ate and appeared curious (toward James) and approving (toward Lily), although all the way around proud. The Heads of House gave the prefects the common room passwords during dessert and McGonagall told Lily and James where Dumbledore wanted to meet them; after that, she turned to Sirius.

"Black," she started. He shrunk back a tad, "Your punishment from last term has run its course. You dutifully served your detentions, respected your Hogsmeade and Quidditch bans, and the headmaster believes your should have all your privileges reinstated."

"Wicked," grinned Sirius, glancing happily at his three friends. They looked just as thrilled.

"However, this is _only_ on the condition that Mr. Lupin is also okay with this decision." McGonagall reported. Remus felt taken aback as he felt four pairs of eyes on his face.

"Me?" he asked. The Transfiguration professor nodded gently.

"It's only fair, Moony." Sirius muttered, studying Remus. He did not look pleading or desperate—merely resigned to whatever came out of the prefect's mouth.

"Of course I'm okay with it." Remus commented after a couple of moments. All of the Marauders were grinning once more.

"Very well. Enjoy your sweets, boys," she bid, giving a half smile and leaving Gryffindor table.

"Such a saint you are, Remus!," James noted with his lopsided grin, "_I_ would have asked for more punishment, like making him room with Snivelly for three months."

"Or making him Filch's personal assistant! 'Go run my bath, boy!'." added Peter.

"To hell with both of your arses!" Sirius declared, throwing a handful of gumdrops at their heads. Remus laughed.

"Assault the Head Boy again and I'll put you in detention, Black!" James threatened, although smiling.

"Oy, listen to this wanker! Already on it!"

The Welcoming Feast convened not long thereafter and the House's prefects were rounding up first years as everyone else leisurely exited the Great Hall.

"Well this is a first—only me and Wormy going up to the room." Sirius mentioned.

"Yeah, try not to get caught snogging on the way there." Remus joked.

"Pssh. He wishes."

Peter looked affronted but James waved them off with a chuckle as he turned around to spot Lily.

"Be up there in a bit," he promised.

The captain saw the red head talking with Frank and Alice and when she noticed him she took her leave of the couple, walking to him so they could go meet Dumbledore. The two spoke about Boderick and wondered if he would out himself to his classes like he had done at the party, and this topic was enough to carry them until they reached their destination: the side door behind the High Table.

"Have you been in here before?" Lily questioned, peering at it.

"Once, when Sirius and I were in loads of trouble back in third year for turning Mrs. Norris purple and putting her in the trophy display." James revealed. He made a small grimace, eyes on the door, and then pushed it open.

Albus Dumbledore sat at a desk in front of an inactive, grand fireplace, pouring over a piece of parchment. He did not seem to notice their entry so Lily made a small noise to announce their presence.

"Ah! James, Lily! You're here! Stupendous!" the old wizard exclaimed, setting the paper down and smiling warmly at them.

" 'Lo, Professor." James greeted shyly.

"Please, have a seat!" The headmaster waved his hand in a swooping motion and the two chairs in front of the desk moved outward. The Gryffindors immediately sat down.

"Was the feast enjoyable?" Dumbledore pondered, stowing the parchment away.

"Quite," the witch confirmed.

"Lovely! Well, I shan't make this meeting a long one because I know you two would likely desire to return to your common room and because you already received a parcel describing your positions in detail. However, it is customary for me to speak with the new Head Girl and Boy on the first day; so, with that being said, _congratulations_!"

He was beaming at them and they glanced at each other bashfully before vocalizing their gratitude.

"I sincerely believe you two will be extraordinary leaders of this school, and with the Dark Lord's threat growing by the day your leadership is more important than ever. You are both strong, fair, caring, likable, intelligent and open-minded, and these traits exemplify your new titles," Dumbledore continued, "I must also admit I receive much pride knowing you are both Gryffindors!"

"Thank you Professor!" Lily said while James grinned.

"Did you have any problems with your duties aboard the Express? Any resistance?"

"No, sir," the Chaser responded.

"And have you planned the first prefect meeting for the term?" the headmaster questioned.

"Yes sir—Wednesday, at 8:30," she replied.

"Good, good! As you read, there is a mandatory meeting at least once a month and additional meetings per the Heads' discretion. Rounds occur every weekday from nine to midnight as well, and you two will be working with Mr. Filch and the House Heads when necessary. You also have the power to give detentions and manage House points."

Their heads nodded vigorously as they silently agreed with everything he said.

"I also thought we could use a bit of a change this year. Hogwarts has not entertained a ball or dance in quite some time and I thought it might lift many of you young ones' spirits, especially around Halloween, Christmas or Valentine's Day…" Dumbledore explained.

"Professor, that sounds… great!" Lily commented, face brightening. She looked at her Housemate.

"It _would_ be brilliant." James remarked, grinning.

"Fantastic. Discuss the idea amongst yourselves and inform me what you've come up with as soon as you can," the older wizard stated.

"We will," she attested.

"Now, are there any questions you have for me?"

Lily shook her head slowly but James had grown quiet, studying the old man before him. Was his chance now, to ask why he had been appointed Head Boy? True, he was no longer exceptionally worried about doing the job since so many people had voiced their support of him and his abilities, but it would be nice to hear something from the headmaster himself.

"Erm, actually, yes—I do, sir," he affirmed.

"Please ask." Dumbledore offered, inclining his head.

"I… I just wanted to know… why you chose me. For Head Boy."

Both Lily and the headmaster were gazing at James, although the former appeared sympathetic and the latter had a faint smile on his face. A short pause passed before anything else was said and it was Dumbledore who broke the silence.

"James, my dear young man, if I wanted to keep you in this room for another three hours I could give you all of the intricate thoughts and reasons there were for sending you that badge," he commenced, "Neither of us, I think, would want that. But, I will tell you this: you are entitled as any prefect to be Head Boy. I see something in you, Mr. Potter—numerous people do. I meant what I said about your leadership qualities and if I did not think you could handle the position you would not be sitting here. It was not my intention to snub you this summer but I did not want you to doubt yourself. You never have before! You are special James, and deserving of this title. And as for your past, ah, _behaviors_, I understand they were follies of youth! If we were to be judged solely on our prior actions we would all be doomed, right Ms. Evans?"

"Exactly," the red head noted, smiling softly at James.

"Besides, you accrued no detentions whatsoever during sixth year! Impressive." Dumbledore stated, smiling surely.

"An accident, probably," the captain grinned in an embarrassed fashion. The other two laughed lightly.

"And you, Lily, you have nothing you wish to ask?"

"Not at the moment Professor." Lily claimed.

"Indeed. Now, there is only one other matter left to discuss before I send you on your way, and that is the Head common room!," the headmaster relayed, "In addition to the luxuries of the prefects' lavatory, the Head Boy and Girl have their own, private commons area. It can be very convenient and useful and is definitely cozy if I so say so myself! It is on the third floor behind the painting of the Hogwarts crest. I normally escort the witch and wizard to the room after one such meeting as this but, as it were, I have another gathering that requires my presence once I am done here. I am meeting with the Slytherins in your year, in fact, in my office. I _do_ apologize for the interruption and hope you two will inspect your new recreation room."

"Oh, it's perfectly all right sir! And we surely will!" she assured, making to stand up.

"Er, yeah! Yes—yes of course, Professor." James added rapidly, following her lead. He had been intrigued by the revelation of the impending conference with the Slytherins. What did they all want to speak to the headmaster about?

"I believe you both will perform wonderfully this school year. You have my faith and trust. Have a good night." Dumbledore stated kindly.

The pair of lions bade him a good night in return and then left the side room in order to go back in the Great Hall and make their way to Gryffindor Tower. There was much James wanted to bring up: the ball, how Dumbledore's words had been the final assurance he needed, and for what the snakes could want to see him. However, as he thought of the entire summer and what this day had been like in terms of his stance with Lily, he knew these thoughts could and would wait. There was something much more pressing he needed to address.

"See? We'll be fine James, don't you think so now?" Lily inquired hopefully as they ascended the steps.

"Yeah, actually—we will," he uttered. She smiled brightly.

"So do you want to go look at our common room? How wicked is that!"

The witch hurried her pace as if to get to the third floor faster but he reached out and grabbed her right hand.

"Lily, that can wait." James said, looking at her. Her heart instantly started pumping faster when she noticed the severity of his gaze.

She had no way to articulate as he took the lead, hand still holding hers, and walked them up a bit more stairs and then onto the second floor. Lily knew it was finally that time but that did not stop her from beginning to feel like a nervous wreck. Since _when_ did this particular boy affect her like this? How the tables had turned!

_Don't pass out! _she told herself as they stopped halfway down the hallway, eyes stuck on his (rather good looking) countenance. They stared at one another initially without saying anything, although Lily was waiting for James to say something first. She felt a sudden impulse to kiss him as they gazed at each other and then quickly scolded herself for the feeling. That would only complicate things further!

"Why did we snog again on the train?" he finally prompted, eyes still focused on hers.

"I!... I-I don't know," the witch responded, caught off guard.

"Wait—before that, even. Why did you kiss me in June?"

"_You_ kissed _me_!"

"Yes, but you returned it. Why?" James asked. His voice was calm and even. Lily looked down at the stone floor, flushing a bit. How would she answer that?...

* * *

A/N: Yes, how will Lily answer that question dear readers? I guess you'll see next chapter, won't you? I hope you all like their new DADA professor, or remember him? I wanted to keep Boderick in my story the moment I wrote him so here he is. It also occurs to me that James saving Snape's life was probably a factor as to why Dumbledore chose him for Head Boy…

I have quite a few ideas for one-shots that I'm excited to post, which will probably come out within the next few weeks, so, look out for those if you want. I'm also toying around with the idea of getting a beta, something I've never done but from which I would probably benefit.

Until the next post!


	43. Us

A/N: Pottermore is almost here! Wooo! So excited! I can't wait to get on the site. Review shout out time:

_team.K. & ghostofyour: _Don't wish me death! I beg of you! You will not have to wait much longer, I promise on all that is Harry Potter! Lol. You will see what I mean when you finish this chapter **:P**

_Aeiry: _Your belief about their common room just may be right, lol. And I can say that Snape will be confronting one of them in the coming chapters…

_cairdiuil: _Hello to you too! Yes, Remus is thick, and something may happen regarding Sirius & Marlene during seventh year! Have to keep reading to find out **;)**

_jammin284: _Thank you! This particular story ends with their seventh year, but that's not to say I don't have other fics about the Marauders in mind.

_hayley06: _Yes, I also adore Remus **:)**

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 43**

"I don't know," Lily mentioned softly, eyes sweeping the stone floor.

"You don't? Even though you've done it twice now?" James wondered.

"No, I don't! Why did you go and do it in the first place?"

"Oh come on Lily, we both know the answer to that," he remarked, sounding impatient, "I reckon I did it to keep you from running off but also because something pushed me to, and because I've had feelings for you for four years! Do you know how long I've wanted to kiss you? Since we were _thirteen_, since the moment I thought you were the best girl at Hogwarts. And when you didn't push me away… I thought my heart nearly exploded."

She was studying the floor again, a complete blush overtaking her face. His words were the truth—his truth—and hearing them made her feel indescribable. James sounded so sure of himself whereas she was a mess in comparison.

"On the Express you said you were scared… what else do you feel? It has to be something," he continued softly.

"I told you, I feel a lot of things James, and I've never felt them, especially for you!," Lily began, "I don't know what to think exactly. I mean, we became friends throughout sixth year and I discovered you were a great person, t-that I liked being around you; I _wanted _to spend time with you, something that was unfamiliar! And then I suppose I felt guilty for how we used to get on… and then things started changing!..."

"What things? What do you mean?"

"I don't know—"

"Lily, stop saying 'I don't know'," he commented.

"Why?" she challenged, perturbed at this demand.

"Because it's an excuse for saying what you really think."

"If I knew what I really thought or felt I wouldn't say it, would I?"

"Is that it, or are you just afraid?" James questioned.

"Afraid of what?" Lily answered. He shrugged.

"Accepting what your feelings for me may be."

She stared at him, shocked.

"Because I'm certain how I feel about you, and I'm not hiding it," the Chaser attested.

"You've had much longer to deal with your feelings." Lily said in a rather flat voice after a moment.

"Taking all the time in the world won't make them less real."

"Are you implying that you know how _I_—" she started, bristling up with potential anger.

"No! No! I just—," James interjected quickly. He then let out a big sigh, musing his hair, "Lily, I just want to figure out what's happening between us, if… if something more than friendship exists. I want to know if you feel even a _speck_ of the way I feel about you."

"Is that what you want?"

Lily's anger had vanished before it began and her voice sounded small and vulnerable.

"Of course it is. Four years…. I thought your friendship was the best I'd do and I was completely satisfied and happy with that, and then I knew what kissing you was like—my deepest wish. Lily, I want us—that's what I want. Us," he claimed.

"James, this is still rather new. Us getting along, getting to know each other more, understanding the other…" she observed, her eyes now wet as she peered at his face.

"I know, but that's a part of it too. And doing it together."

"You're so sure of it…"

"What I'm sure of is wanting you. What do _you_ want, Lily?" James asked, caressing her hand once. She felt wretched as she looked down at their hands, wanting to let a tear or two from frustration escape her ducts.

"I don't know," she whispered.

It was silent for an elongated period. Lily looked at his chest in substitution for his face because she did not know what expression would be there, or if it would make her feel worse.

"Well, when you know what it is, come and find me." James told her in a steady, low voice. She brought her gaze up in time to see him moving away, headed back in the direction of the staircase with his hands in his pockets.

A part of Lily felt extremely desperate upon seeing James walk away and, as she watched him go with a stunned expression, she recklessly thought of following him. But what would she say now? Had she just not conveyed her stance regarding their confusing relationship? Although the two had finally spoken after months of separation, the red head had never felt so unfulfilled and low during this entire predicament.

The Quidditch captain did not want to admit how dejected he felt when he returned to Gryffindor Tower. He bypassed inquisitive Housemates vying for his attention and went straight to his room where his three best friends happened to be, intent on telling them about his discussion with Lily. Consequently, they abruptly brought a concern to his awareness the moment they saw him, one they had been discussing in his absence.

"Beginning of the year prank! We never thought of one!" Peter cried.

This realization effectively switched James' train of thought as the teenagers rapidly picked spots on the floor and began thinking of pranks they could pull the succeeding day. They were aggravated with themselves for forgetting about such a precedent event and knew their severely limited amount of time could prevent their ingenuity. Remus was just as involved as the others because he understood this was the last year, it was tradition, and their number of pranks might very well decrease with one of them as Head Boy. The Marauders deliberated for about 45 minutes, finally coming to agree on the plan of transfiguring the Great Hall into a replica of the Forbidden Forest, sans the dangerous creatures. They decided they would awake before 5AM to go perform the magic and, with that pressing matter covered, James delved into his talk with Lily. The boys spoke about this subject for another half an hour when Frank entered the room and conversation about ten minutes through. The others gave him their opinions and encouraging words and Remus & Sirius seemed to be on the same page about the ordeal.

"She's snogged you twice now! She's… she's in denial is all!" Sirius offered, shaking his head.

"Lily's still confused James, still overwhelmed. You're right in having her come to you when she's ready—she'll have no choice but to sort out her feelings. She's scared, like you said, but I think it's because there _are_ feelings." Remus reported.

"All you can do is go on with daily motions. Now she knows where you stand." Frank mentioned, shrugging.

"Yeah. The Quaffle's in her hands." James remarked, rubbing his eyes.

Lily also told her roommates about her talk with James although it was only Alice and Marlene since Dorcas and Mary were still not aware of the fact that the red head had even kissed him. The three witches spoke in a corner of the common room and it was rather difficult in keeping their remaining friends out of the conversation, but they managed by lying and saying they were discussing a summer Potions assignment.

"He wants you to be his girlfriend." Marlene quietly awed, peering at her dorm mate.

"He said he wanted 'us'," the Head Girl answered, nodding and looking quite sad, "Merlin, it's all happening so _fast_!" She put her head in her hands.

"For you, not James. It's been years in the making for him." Alice noted.

"Yeah, he kind of said that. But what am I supposed to do? Just… just say yes? This is far from simple! I never expected it to be like this with James!"

"We know Lily."

"Maybe, though, you're putting too much thought into all of it." Marlene observed. Lily peered at her with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Maybe you should put all of your insecurities and doubts and obstacles you've created aside and just… do what _feels_ right. Nothing's guaranteed, and who says love ever had to make sense?" the brunette continued, looking out at her Housemates. The red head gawked at her, mouth partially open.

"Well, I…" she commenced. But when she realized she could not vocalize her thoughts she simply nodded, looking at the floor.

"It'll become crystal clear to you. Just hope, if you _do_ want this, that it doesn't take an eternity to happen; blokes have short waiting periods!" Alice commented, smiling some.

"Oy! Are you lot done talking about Potions?" Dorcas asked as she and Mary strolled up to their roommates.

"Er, yeah. We're through." Lily attested, glancing at the purebloods.

"Why would you discuss that during your free time, before classes have even begun, is beyond me!" Mary stated, a hand on her hip.

"I know!" Dorcas added.

"The assignment was difficult—just wanted to make sure we did it correctly." Marlene fibbed.

"Well forget that and let's think of what the boys have in store for the school tomorrow at breakfast!"

"Oooh, yes! Their start of the year prank!" Alice uttered.

"It'll be the last!" Marlene remarked nostalgically.

"D'you think Potter will stop his mates from doing those this year now that he's Head Boy?" Mary questioned.

"I should hope so!" the read head declared, a little surprised.

"I should hope _not_!" laughed Dorcas.

The Marauders all awoke at 4:30 in the morning to trudge down to the dining hall to implement their plan, although Sirius was the most arduous to rise and therefore the grumpiest. They used the Cloak for Remus and James while the other two were Disillusioned, and they ran into no one along the trek apart from Mrs. Norris (who watched Peter and Sirius with a frighteningly accurate gaze). The four Gryffindors initially felt overwhelmed with the size of the room when they stepped inside and shut the doors because they would have to transfigure most of it; however, with their level of skill in this particular subject, the number of wands, and the 60 minute time limit they had imposed, they knew they could produce something worthwhile. They divided the hall into four sections and each took a portion to work on, and if one finished before the others he was meant to aid another. The quartet used every second it had to perform its magic and hastily left the Great Hall at a quarter to six, knowing Filch made his morning rounds at 6AM sharp.

The Marauders took short power naps before they awoke once more to begin the first day of classes. It took half an hour for all five boys to get ready for the day and then they all headed down for breakfast together.

"Morning girls." Frank greeted as they walked through the common room and saw three of the five witches.

"Ergh. After weeks of getting to sleep in, I never get used to having to be up so early very quickly." Dorcas responded, folded up in an armchair. Peter smiled.

"Sleep well?" Remus inquired.

"Yes." Marlene confirmed.

"No one snuck out to see boys?" Sirius joked, peering at her. She gave him a spry look with a smile.

"No."

"As though _you_ haven't done it before, Black." Mary chuckled.

"Sirius, you've been out to see _blokes_ before?" James questioned, feigning surprise. Everyone laughed as Lily and Alice came bounding down the girls' staircase.

"Autumn refused to give up Alice's tie and was holding it hostage under my bed," the Head Girl relayed, shaking her head.

"Your cat is conniving, Evans." Dorcas said, getting up.

"All cats are," commented Sirius.

"Obvious bias." Remus muttered. The Marauders sniggered.

"To the Great Hall," mentioned Frank, smiling.

* * *

The ten Gryffindors spoke comfortably as they traversed the castle with other students going down to breakfast, although Mary was talking predominately to Remus. Lily would sneak glances at James in between her words to assess his demeanor and note if he seemed upset but the Chaser appeared to be his usual self. Once he caught the gaze she was directing at him so, a bit embarrassed, she gave him a sincere smile. It may have been with a brief smile of his own but James did react, and this made Lily feel more secure; hopefully it was a sign that he was not going to hold this all against her.

As they neared the dining hall four certain wizards became somewhat quiet as their anticipation increased, and they listened to Marlene ask Mary about her hair being straight for two consecutive days.

"I didn't see you do anything to it this morning," the brunette pointed out.

"Because I didn't have to. I asked my hair dresser this summer for a remedy that would keep it straight longer and she gave me something that keeps it this way for six weeks. I used magic to double the time it lasts!" Mary explained, smiling.

"That's smart of you!" Alice stated while Dorcas nodded.

"It's loads easier."

"Your hair is pretty straight but I liked it curly." Lily attested.

"Yes, but it took years to comb through." Mary said.

"Girls." Sirius mumbled as his dorm mates grinned.

There was a large crowd buzzing outside the Great Hall as they approached it and the kids seemed avid about something.

"What is going on?" Frank wondered, looking around at everyone.

"Inside, inside!" a Ravenclaw announced, rushing to meet his newly arrived friends. The lion witches all looked confused.

"What?" Lily vocalized.

"Hey, what's up?" Dorcas questioned a young Slytherin whom had just come out of the hall, right as Abigail bustled up to the Gryffindors.

"Remus! Have you lot gone inside yet? It's mental _and_ brilliant!" she exclaimed jovially, touching his left arm. All ten gazed at her.

"Er, no! We just got here, actually," he alerted, trying to play it cool.

"Well come on!"

Abigail grabbed his hand and hurried inside, and all of his Housemates chose to follow the pair (even though Mary was glowering at the Hufflepuff). There were even more students milling about in the dining hall and, upon seeing the interior, all but the Marauders' mouths fell open with gigantic gasps. They, in turn, peered around with tiny, smug smiles: the room was unrecognizable. Grass and dirt and twigs served as the floor and there were multiple trees on all four sides of the room, along with wild shrubs and flowers. The House tables were gone and replaced with four, long, sizeable tree trunks and the walls had dark vines running all over them; there was a small river as well that separated the House "tables" from the High Table and, in fact, there was a vast slab of gray rock in place of the typical table. Standing around the rock was the group of Hogwarts professors, conversing deeply and appearing terribly exasperated.

"This is…" Frank slowly began.

"Incredible." Dorcas finished, face lighting up.

"_Merlin_!" Marlene said, bending down to touch the floor.

"Think of all the time and magic this must have taken!" Mary awed, gazing at the Gryffindor trunk.

"Isn't this insane!" Abigail commented, smiling.

"Definitely." Sirius agreed, kicking a stone.

"It's the pranking kids again, of course."

"Yeah, and this time they've really outdone themselves." Alice affirmed.

"That's for sure." Lily avowed, glancing at her suspects.

"Someone has to admit—this is rather excellent!" Peter shrugged.

" 'Course it is! And one hell of a surprise!" Frank noted.

"I hope a picture of this was taken!" Dorcas relayed.

"Yeah. Maybe that way they can identify the wand work of those who did it." Lily observed, scratching her nose. Remus looked at her rapidly.

"What? They can do that?" Sirius hurriedly posited while Peter gaped. Marlene laughed silently.

"I wonder what they intend to do about breakfast, though." James said, glancing at the red head nervously.

"They could feed us in our dormitories." Abigail postulated.

Conversely, in the next instant, the headmaster entered the Great Hall tailed by the pupils whom had been congregating outside. Everyone turned to him as he cleared this throat to speak.

"I had planned to have a late breakfast this morning until I received an urgent message from Mr. Filch not very long ago requesting my presence in the dining hall, and Professor McGonagall contacted me as well. I quickly made my way down to investigate the potential problem but I daresay that the Great Hall seems to be no more; this habitat is a different place entirely!," Dumbledore announced. There was a rumble of laughter and McGonagall had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Leave it to him!, "Well, you students clearly have no place to eat your breakfast—"

"Not true! We have the trees!" Quincy Royce shouted. There was more laughter and the older wizard smiled.

"While this is true Mr. Royce, and a lovely consideration from the infamous pranksters, I'm afraid your professors would prefer we restore the hall to its original state."

"Boooo." Sirius loudly uttered after a moment of silence. His friends snorted as the other kids laughed once more. The headmaster chuckled.

"I must say, however, that this is extraordinary magic! I will be disheartened to see it go…," Dumbledore relayed thoughtfully. The Marauders all felt inward pride, "Now, if you will return to your common rooms please! The bell will sound when we are through here."

There were grumbles as the students filed out of the room, primarily from the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws as their towers were in some of the highest parts of the castle. It appeared to be unnecessary work since they would come back down in a relatively short period of time. The prank was discussed some more while the lions waited and the seventh years were giving heavy hints to the Marauders, but they of course betrayed nothing and agreed that yes, it probably was the finest prank pulled in the last seven years. The bell rang twenty minutes later and it was quite apparent that the transformation back had taken longer than expected, and that the first classes of the day started in 15 minutes. When the children returned to the Great Hall hungry and somewhat panic stricken, Dumbledore explained that they had 45 minutes to eat, not 15; he had modified the day's schedule to accommodate the 30 minute change due to the unforeseen circumstances. Feeling better, the pupils sat down to consume food and watch their House Heads approach their tables with schedules. The seventh years had the same classes as last year merely at different times so were not surprised when McGonagall handed them their sheets, but she did mention that there would be upcoming career consultations.

"They will be on the last Friday of this month and there will be three in total for the school year. I hope you all have a tentative idea for what you plan to do because this is what we will discuss during the first meeting," the professor reported. The group looked at one another with mild shock.

"Now, Mr. Potter," McGonagall commenced, turning to James. He started a little, not used to hearing her call him 'mister', "Quidditch. Your Housemates will have this entire week to sign up with me if they wish to try out for the one spot on the team, and I will give you the list next Monday."

"Yes. I, I think I'll hold tryouts the third week." James said, nodding.

"You know, you will have a lot to deal with this year—your classes, studying for and completing your NEWTs, humoring Horace for his club, being captain, and now, Head Boy."

_Don't forget full moons,_ he thought, glancing at the table for a moment.

"It would be intimidating for any student to handle, and although you are above and beyond any normal student, Mr. Potter, do not let your responsibilities overwhelm you. If you find that you are falling behind, suffering, or need help, do _not_ be afraid to speak up; you are only human. People have such high hopes and expectations for you but do not let this cloud your judgment. I am proud of your growth and do not want to see the Head Boy stumble," she poured out, looking rather emotional.

However, before he could get any response out of his mouth (he was stunned by her openness) McGonagall was going back to the High Table.

"What was that about?" Sirius muttered, pouring himself another cup of coffee. She had spoken directly to the captain so no one else had truly heard their conversation.

"She… she said she was _proud_ of me!," James revealed, "Told me to not be afraid to ask for help since I'll have loads to do this year."

"Hmm."

A small group of fifth year Hufflepuffs then approached James and congratulated him on acquiring Head Boy, while across the room the Slytherins watched with very angry expressions on their faces.

"Only the Head Boy of Dumbledore's school could turn the Great Hall into a stupid forest and then escape punishment like it was such a laugh!" Rosier spat out, gripping his spoon tightly.

"I hope you actually write to your father, Evan." Avery remarked.

"Oh I will! You should as well—the more opposition he faces may get the school governors to do something about his ludicrous decisions!"

"And if they don't _I _will! It's our last year and I would love to send Dumbledore a message about what is what!" Mulciber pointed out.

"I give Potter three weeks before he does something to lose his badge." Gates grumbled.

"I give that twat three _days_," Snape commented, "And there are plenty of ways to provoke him…"

The boys' meeting with the headmaster the previous night had not had the jolting affect on him they had been striving for, and it only left them feeling more bitterness.

…

"_So, what is the nature of this meeting my boys?" Dumbledore questioned, leaning back in his chair and peering at the five Slytherin wizards. They all appeared a bit uptight as they stood in front of his vast desk._

"_We're glad you allowed us to see you—" Severus began._

"_I always make time for students. It is necessary."_

"_Yes," Rosier impatiently cut in, "Well we asked for this meeting, sir, because we are very concerned with the picks for Head Boy and Girl this year."_

"_Concerned?" Dumbledore repeated, tilting his head curiously._

"_Yes. And upset." Avery supplemented. There was a pause._

"_Upset… may I ask why?"_

"_Because we do not believe they will be capable of the Head duties." Rosier remarked._

"_I do not see why. Ms. Evans has been a prefect for two years," the headmaster noted calmly._

"_Well what about Potter! He was not a prefect and in fact spent most of his time here causing trouble and choosing people for hexing! How does that make sense? Where did he come from? _No one _can believe it!" Mulciber relayed agitatedly._

"_I can assure you that Mr. Potter _is _Head Boy, Walton, yet the proceedings for determining the Heads are quite complex and known only to Hogwarts personnel."_

"_So everyone chose him? _Everyone _decided he would be best?" Avery questioned skeptically._

"_The good majority, yes," confirmed Dumbledore._

"_Well why wasn't it one of the prefects?" Gates posited._

"_Yes, it is their job to demonstrate good behavior." Snape mentioned._

"_They were considered first, of course, but as I stated before the process of choosing Heads is—" Dumbledore commenced._

_"And what about the governors? Do they have a say in this?" Rosier demanded, a snarl evident in his tone._

"_They know whom we pick but do not bother themselves with such, what they would deem, trivial matters. Now gentlemen, it seems to me that your dislike of James Potter has brought you here tonight instead of your doubts of his ability to perform."_

"_That's still a concern of mine." Avery mumbled, narrowing his eyes._

"_And I'm worried about favoritism and qualifications," Mulciber said bluntly, "He wasn't a prefect."_

"_I do not know what to say to appease you." Dumbledore exhaled after a moment._

"_Will you take Potter's badge away?" Severus asked._

"_Of course not, Severus."_

"_Fine. Then I will write to my father and he will write to the governors because this must be a joke, Professor Dumbledore. It's just not funny." Rosier declared in a cold voice._

"_Please, _do _write to your father, Evan. It would be a treat to hear from him again," the headmaster relayed with a small smile._

…

Every professor congratulated Lily and James on their newfound positions when they walked into class that morning, and while they and their classmates listened to the agenda for the year and the first day lecture, everyone was enthusiastic to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts to meet the new instructor. For the seventh years this was to be during the third class, right before lunch.

"Ten Knuts say he tells everyone he's a werewolf today." Sirius hypothesized as they walked to the Defense classroom.

"Yeah?," Peter prompted, looking at him, "I'll take that. Ten say he won't."

"Gambling is not permitted in the corridors." Remus muttered, looking at the approaching door. James snorted in amusement.

"Sorry Prefect Lupin! I'll save it for lunch, then," Sirius smirked, "But you should be thrilled about this! A _professor_ with a furry problem!"

"Yeah, I'm sure they can share some laughs recounting how great it feels to transform over tea and crumpets!" James answered. Peter chuckled once and Remus peered at the Head Boy with a tiny smile as they arrived to the room.

The Marauders were fairly quiet as they entered and took their seats, using the opportunity to discreetly appraise Boderick. He was standing over his desk but leaning forward while he read from the assigned textbook for the year. His abundant amount of dark brown hair and goatee were neatly groomed and he did not look up from his reading at the students.

"You should grow your hair out, Moony. You'd look _smashing_ with a beard!" Sirius whispered to Remus, who sat at the desk in front of him (next to Peter). The other three snickered at this statement.

"Dumbledore might not like the competition," noted Peter.

"Hey, about Prongs' tea comment earlier—maybe he'd be willing to have a furry social hour with you once a week!"

"And what would they do? Howl at each other?" James questioned, chuckling.

"Padfoot, get all these jokes from your system now, because after today I'll strangle you if I hear another," Remus relayed, smirking somewhat, "I'm not the only one, you know."

"No, but you're the only one we know and we like to feel special." Sirius mentioned.

About two minutes later all of the pupils were in their seats and the bell had resounded. Boderick used his wand to shut the door and then he surveyed everyone in the room with a warm smile.

"So, is what happened at breakfast a common occurrence at Hogwarts?" he asked after a moment.

"Essentially." Frank replied. His classmates gave low laughs and his roommates grinned at him.

"Well then it should prove to be an amusing year!," the man predicted, his smile growing, "Now, why don't we start with introductions? I am Professor Boderick, your new Defense instructor, and I will have the pleasure of teaching you this school year." Adrian Yung raised his hand.

"May I have your name?"

"Adrian Yung, Hufflepuff," the boy answered, "Have you heard that your position is cursed, sir?"

"I've heard that before, yes," Boderick confirmed, chuckling, "Horace Slughorn told me such before I accepted the post. He referred me, actually, and Professor Dumbledore thought I was good enough for the job. How did you find your previous teacher for this subject?"

"She was good—we learned a lot." Alice commented, seated next to Frank.

"Much work with silent spells?"

"Yes." Tavia Denton stated.

"Good. We will continue that this year, in addition to learning new, more complex defensive magic, such as the corporeal Patronus. As seventh year NEWT students you have much knowledge and much expected of you!" Boderick revealed. Excited murmuring then began about learning Patroni.

"Wicked!" James said.

"Neither of my parents can produce one!" Sirius remarked.

"It's usually an optional subject for seventh year since it's so advanced!" Remus pointed out.

"How long do you think it'll take us?" Lily wondered.

"I don't know, but I can't wait until we try! I've always wanted to learn!" Dorcas, her desk partner, responded.

"Is he going to get real Dementors in here?" Mary questioned Marlene.

"I shall take roll call and then talk more about the curriculum, as well as a little more history about myself." Boderick announced.

He read the students' names from the sheet of parchment and noted that Lily and James were Head Girl and Boy when he called and glanced at them. When he read Remus' name and peered at him, he uttered "Ah yes—I remember" with a tiny smile. (Snape leered openly at this). Once Boderick had finished taking attendance he told them a bit more about himself as promised and what wizarding life was like in Denmark. After that he divided them into pairs and they practiced nonverbal incantations they had learned during sixth year for a refresher; this took up most of the class session and the last quarter of the hour was used to introduce their first, new spell. Boderick demonstrated it for them and assigned the chapter about it in the textbook for homework.

"Sir? Since you know what it's like to live in both the UK and Denmark, which do you prefer?" Maya Brookes, a Ravenclaw witch, inquired as they packed up.

"A trick question, I think, since I was born here but have resided there most of my life!," the professor alerted kindly, "It is simply a matter of different cultures of course, and there are things I appreciate about each. I love the heartiness of British food, for instance, and the Danish acceptance of my lycanthropy."

The students were stunned into silence as the bell rang, notifying the school that the third class period was over. Boderick left his pupils with a smile and assurance to see them the following day, and was the first out the door, briefcase in hand. Those few who had known about his condition looked at their peers for their reactions.

"Ten Knuts, Pettigrew! I want them on my bed by the end of the day!" Sirius ordered, sounding triumphant.

"He actually told!" James noted.

"He was going to I reckon, at _some_ point… I just wonder how people are going to take it." Remus commented, sounding somewhat worried.

"Yeah… _this_ isn't Denmark." Peter alerted.

"Did you lot hear that? A werewolf, for a professor!" Mary avidly remarked, rushing up to the boys with her roommates. Everyone was now speaking animatedly about the matter.

"Lily and Marlene knew." Alice told them.

"So did we. He was Slughorn's Halloween party." Sirius responded while Marlene nodded.

"This year is starting with a bang all around!" Dorcas mentioned.

"So who's going to fill in during full moons?" Frank posited.

The teenagers began to exit the room and Boderick the werewolf dominated all conversation as everyone traveled to their common rooms in order to drop off their possessions before going to lunch. The Gryffindor seventh years walked to their tower as a unit while they spoke about their new professor as well and then went to the Great Hall, though they ceased talking about Boderick at some point.

James had not even made it to the table before Cathy intersected his path and looked bursting to speak to him. His friends left him behind with smirks but Lily, once seated, watched the pair as her own friends chatted around her and started taking food. The red head saw how excited the other witch appeared as she exchanged words with James, how she flipped her hair and touched his badge more than once; he in turn looked expertly cool and collected, a smile on his face while his arms were crossed. Lily was quite certain this was the first time the two had spoken since getting to Hogwarts… had they written to one another over the vacation? This was not her first time considering this. Did James think Detz was pretty? The red head critically studied the Hufflepuff's honey colored hair, her height… _well I'm definitely taller than she is, _she thought, _I don't even know if he likes short girls. _Lily then felt the urge to ask Remus if the captain liked short women but quickly realized how that would sound, and that she should not truly care to begin with.

_Stop worrying about what he likes—it's no concern to you, especially since you have no idea how you feel!_ Lily told herself, finally looking away.

"All right?" Dorcas questioned, reaching for the pitcher of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah—fine," the Head Girl uttered, turning to her and half smiling.

"So any blokes you've got an eye on this year? It's been awhile since Hamilton."

"Er!... well, uh, no. Not really. Not yet…"

A couple of people from other Houses gave James well wishes on receiving Head Boy throughout the meal and Frank mentioned it was likely because he had been a surprise choice, but James was the one to receive a surprise at the end of lunch.

* * *

A/N: Don't give up on me or Lily, dear readers! Ha ha. I know it's probably frustrating but she _will_ come to her senses, and it won't take 100 more chapters to happen. (It'll come soon, actually).

It's cool hearing from a new reviewer with every chapter and so far so good! I'll be back with another installment in two weeks, like always.


	44. Witch Magnet

A/N: I had a case of writer's block, which I despise. I knew what was going to happen in the chapters but I just had no motivation to put it down on paper; luckily, it has now passed.

So I have **200** reviews as of the last posting! YAY! You all deserve free ice cream! I wanted to reach this number by chapter 50 but I'll be [well] over it by then thanks to you readers. RSOT (review shout out time): thank you _pineappleshaker_ and _HPandTwilightGirl _for your reviews and kind words!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 44**

"Hi." Michelle said, stopping James.

"Michelle," he replied immediately, staring at her with a shocked expression, "Hey…"

His group was continuing to walk ahead but had slowed down significantly, about as stunned with her gesture as he was.

"How have you been?" she questioned.

"I've been… good! Had a good summer. I, uh, I hope you've been well too."

"I have, thanks; my summer was also nice. So, everyone's been talking about how you're Head Boy…"

"I noticed." James commented, snorting.

"It's not all bad, James. Lots of people think you'll be very capable." Michelle revealed. He nodded.

"They _do_ give me comfort."

"Well, I just wanted to personally say congratulations. Even though we didn't make it, I'll never wish bad on you or want you to flounder."

"Thank you Michelle. It was good to hear that," he attested, smiling kindly. This time she nodded.

"I'll see you around James, in classes," she notified.

The Ravenclaw gave a tiny wave then went to join her friends and he did the same.

"What'd she say? Did she yell at you?" Sirius asked the second James rejoined them.

"Did she want another go as a couple?" Peter posed.

"Did she threaten you?" Dorcas wondered.

"Threaten me! With what? _Why_?," James responded, laughing somewhat, "No! And she didn't yell at me, _or_ want 'another go'."

"Was it about Head Boy?" Remus postulated.

"Yeah. She just congratulated me. It was nice."

"You're going to have every girl you've ever glanced at come to you because of that damn badge." Sirius announced, smirking. Dorcas made a scoffing noise that no one heard while Lily looked at him and frowned. James _had_ always been popular, and now he was Head Boy on top of it….

Slughorn was exuberant in greeting his Potions class that afternoon and commented on Lily and James being the Heads.

"Two of the students from my Slug Club! How marvelous indeed! Yet another factor to add to your uniqueness! And Mr. Potter, _what_ a surprising treat! Well done m'boy! Of course Lily, dear, you were a splendid, well deserved pick; never doubted you!" he declared. They appeared bashful and wanted him to say no more while the Slytherins looked murderous. Avery raised his hand.

"Sir, don't you normally have to be a prefect in order to become a Head?" he tersely inquired. The Gryffindors peered at him with glares and scowls.

"Well Derrick, yes—being a prefect _is _sufficient for the position but it is not necessary. Mr. Potter isn't the first non-prefect Head Boy!"

"And he's Quidditch captain. Wouldn't that give him the status he needs, sir?" Sirius prompted.

"Yes Mr. Black, you are correct." Slughorn affirmed. Sirius made a sneering face at the snakes and James let himself smile.

"I have a question, Professor." Gates notified, a hand in the air.

"Yes, Solomon."

"It's about the new Defense teacher. He said you referred him—did you know he was a werewolf?"

Muttering commenced and the lions were once again glowering at the other side of the room.

"Why of course I did! I've known Cecil for years now." Slughorn answered.

"Is it safe for him to teach us?" Rosier asked, looking expectant. A few other pupils seemed to have the same sentiment because they nodded their heads with drawn brows. This made the two Marauders present feel discouraged as they thought of their own friend.

"Completely. Arrangements are well in place and he will not 'attack' anyone. He is a skilled wizard with an unfortunate affliction; he should not be feared."

"Too right." James mumbled, appreciating the professor's message. Not everyone, however, looked appeased by his statement.

"I don't know if every parent—" Morris Finster began.

"If Albus Dumbledore appointed him for the post then no parent should worry, Mr. Finster," Slughorn claimed with finality, "Now let's focus on potions, shall we? This year is going to be quite the rousing! Concocting Veritaserum, creating your very own potions!..."

By dinner the entire school knew Boderick was a werewolf and James recognized that a notable amount of people had congratulated him on Head Boy throughout the day. What Lily realized was that she had not truly spoken to James since the previous night; no real words of value or worth had passed between them, even when the seventh years had spent their time together. She decided she would attempt to change this while she ate, primarily to reassure herself he was not upset with her and things would not become awkward between them. The upper years were acutely disgruntled they had homework from various classes so quickly after returning and knew that was what awaited them in their common rooms, but select pupils, like the Gryffindor males, chose to put it off as long as was feasible that night. Lily caught James as he was gathering his things and appearing to go up the boys' staircase once done.

"All finished for the night?" she pondered, walking up next to him with her hands behind her back.

"Just down here. Going to go up and finally start on homework, force Sirius into doing it too," he replied, smiling a bit, "He's hiding in his bed from it, I'm sure."

"Hiding's not a bad idea."

"Copying Sirius is, though."

She smiled once as they saw Peter ascend the staircase talking to Spencer Toft.

"Well McGonagall should give us the itinerary for the prefect meeting at breakfast. Maybe we can meet fifteen minutes before it starts to go over it." Lily informed.

"Okay." James consented.

"And maybe we can go look at our common room during a free period tomorrow? I'm sure it's great!"

"Oh. Erm… I've already seen it."

"Oh!," she remarked, blinking a few times, "Y-You have?"

"Yeah. I went today with Moony and Padfoot," he stated, "But it is cool so you'll like what you see."

Remus then bypassed them for the boys' dormitories and James noticed, moving to go up with him and telling her to have a good night as he did so. The red head watched them for a moment before turning around to rejoin Mary and Dorcas, feeling a tad blindsided. (Marlene and Alice were with their boyfriends, although the former only had about ten minutes before curfew started). Well, there was always tomorrow to continue testing her stance with James.

In Care of Magical Creatures the following day the students discovered they would be caring for their own Diricawals for multiple weeks, keeping detailed notes and eventually writing an elaborate essay about the creatures and their experiences. (They would do the same with Fwoopers and Knarls later in the year as well). In Defense, the atmosphere was notably tense at the start of the lesson and Boderick addressed it.

"I know many if not all of you are thinking about my revelation from yesterday and I want to talk about it for a moment, since it will affect all of you to a certain extent," he noted, standing in front of his desk, "What are some of your questions?"

The students looked at one another with some disbelief at his willingness to hear them out about his condition, yet did not think they should waste the opportunity if he was seemingly all right with it.

"A-Are you listed on the Ministry's Werewolf Register?" Edward Cabbot posited carefully, the first to raise his hand.

"Yes I am. I was born and bitten in the UK as you know although I've lived most of my life in Denmark, but because I am a citizen by birth I had to register."

"But the Register was made after you were born, correct sir?" Marlene asked.

"It was, in 1947, but the Ministry required all living, British werewolves to register, no matter if they were born before the formation of the document. And although I had already left the country by that time I was still a citizen and they wanted to track my residence." Boderick explained.

"Can anyone see the Register?" a Muggleborn Ravenclaw inquired. Remus' jaw was set as he unconsciously shook his head.

"No. It is only used for Ministry purposes and employers are privy to the information but they are the sole exceptions; the general public cannot view it. It is to maintain the privacy and dignity of those on the list. We on the Register do not even know of the others with our same condition."

"You don't seem to care about privacy regarding the matter, Professor." Avery observed.

"Because I am not ashamed or bothered by what I am, for it is not _all _I am," the professor smiled. Rosier and Snape narrowed their eyes in distrust while Remus looked sadly thoughtful.

"But not everyone is as open minded…" Peter vocalized, sounding apologetic.

"No, unfortunately they are not. I strive to help change that."

"What will it mean for your classes when there are full moons, sir?" Fiona asked. Some kids muttered at this.

"Well, as I will be unable to teach for those short periods, there will be someone else to take over: Professor Dumbledore." Boderick relayed.

"Whoa!" James muttered, peering at Sirius with surprise. All of the pupils appeared intrigued, in fact; being taught by the headmaster was rare indeed.

"Now, does anyone else have any questions about my lycanthropy at the moment?," the man pondered. There were mumbles but quite a few people shook their heads, "Very well. I foresee a good year for us as teacher and students! I hope you all read the assigned chapters for homework. Please take out your books…"

Lily decided to visit the Heads common room with Dorcas and Mary right after the last class of the day, which happened to be Charms.

"So you're going to give us the password for the room, right? Because you _know_ James is going to have his mates in here all the time!" Dorcas commented as they approached the large portrait of the school's crest. Lily inhaled.

"Oh Merlin, you're right! They _will_ be here constantly!" she responded. Mary laughed and then remarked:

"Didn't Black say they were a packaged deal earlier this year?"

"Though, James has a lot of duties this year overall so maybe they won't have as much time to hang around, in any common room." Lily mentioned, taking out her wand. She tapped the Gryffindor portion of the crest, said the password quietly, and then the portrait deftly moved to the right, displaying a wooden door.

"He will be busy but he'll manage fine—he's James," affirmed Dorcas.

The witches smiled as the Head Girl grabbed the handle and opened the door, moving inside. The room was fairly sized and circular in design, with an additional half story. The carpet was scarlet and there were two, high, thin windows with drawn drapes (also scarlet in color) on the east side of the room, directly facing the girls. There were three large couches and two armchairs placed in the center and to the north of the room was a fireplace, with a door on either side of it. A long coffee table sat amidst the sofas and chairs.

"I wonder where the doors lead." Mary noted, walking toward them.

Lily looked back to the windows where a mahogany desk sat in between with two chairs on either side and then to the south part of the room, which was to her right. There was a small set of steps that led to a landing, which ended where the windows began; upon this landing were a handful of tall shelves that held books. A miniature library! The Head Girl smiled to herself and walked up the steps as Dorcas moved in the opposite direction to examine a nice looking storage closet and pictures on the walls. There turned out to be another desk among the bookshelves and from the different vantage point Lily noticed something she had not while on the bottom floor: a chandelier.

"They're lavatories! Boy's and a girl's," Mary told them, coming from the left one, "Pretty nice."

"Hey, there are lots of ingredients in here, many that'd be useful for Potions." Dorcas reported at the closet, handling a jar of lizards' feet.

"Oh, and Lily—look at this! A list of the Heads… you and James are on here." Mary added, standing near the half blood and pointing at a massive frame.

Lily walked back down to where her dorm mates stood and joined Mary in observing the portrait, noticing her name right away (as it was the last written).

"That's the first time you've called him by his first name." Dorcas muttered, still rifling through the closet with interest.

"It is." Lily vocalized, continuing to peer at the names. Mary turned her head and peered at them both with a slightly open mouth, as if analyzing.

"I suppose it is…" she relented, gaze not wavering.

"It's cool in here! Our year has a place of its very own to spend time now." Dorcas exhaled, shutting the doors.

"The _seventh_ year common room, huh?," smirked the red head, "And here I was thinking it was for me and James, a privilege for being Heads! Well, I was wrong." The Chaser grinned.

"And what would you two do in here by yourselves all the time? Snog senselessly?" she quipped. Dorcas walked away laughing somewhat while Lily felt her mouth drop open and a jolt travel through her. She hurriedly looked at the carpet and turned away from Mary, hoping she was not blushing.

She remembered, with an uncomfortable start, that she still had not told these two roommates about her dilemma with James and felt rather poorly for it. They were her friends as well, were they not? They knew of him and what the two had been through… why had she not discussed it yet? Lily knew much of it had to do with merely forgetting and vowed to do it as soon as she could, although now seemed like an awkward time for whatever reason.

"No, maybe he'll save that for Detz." Mary smirked.

"She _wishes_," Dorcas snorted, "I really don't think he likes her much anyway."

"Really? You seem to know a lot about Potter, Dorcas."

"Uh, yeah! I've been his friend since first year."

"Well, I think I'm just going to stay here until dinner. Do some homework." Lily cut in, not wanting to discuss James at the moment (or rather consider him kissing another witch). They looked at her.

"Oh. Well, all right," shrugged Dorcas.

"Let's work on homework and I'll stay with you!" Mary suggested.

"Okay," the red head consented.

"Well you two dears have fun with that! I'll be socializing with the Marauders until dinner; see you then," the Chaser bid, smiling and going for the door.

"You _are_ a trouser wearing mate." Mary joked. In the next instance she was ducking from a hex thrown at her, laughing in disbelief along with the Head Girl.

* * *

Aware that the prefect meeting would be upon them soon, Lily asked James to meet her in the Heads' common room at eight o'clock to go over the agenda while they ate dinner that evening. He agreed, giving her a small smile, and then did not speak to her for the duration of the meal, opting to talk to his roommates as usual. When dinner was over Marlene left with Bruce to spend time alone until the meeting while Remus offered to walk Abigail back to her dormitory; she gladly allowed him to do so, taking his hand, which left Mary gaping in their wake. (The Marauders, conversely, chose to quietly jibe him and make low wolf whistles as they walked behind the pair). Lily went back to the Heads' common room since that is where she left her school bag and planned to meet James, and when she arrived she decided to wash up for the meeting. She strolled into her bathroom and stood in front of the marble basin, glancing at the shower to her left. The bathrooms were just as nice as the rest of the room, and she did not know about his but hers had a small, cherry oak stand with a vase of flowers next to the toilet. The witch washed her hands and face and then quickly combed her hair while looking in the waist-length mirror. When she was finished she stared at her reflection, scrunching her nose up in critique at the young woman she saw before her.

"Lily?" a male's voice rang through the vicinity. Lily jumped. _James_. She turned off the light (surprisingly electric) and hurried out of the bathroom, only to see the Head Boy standing near one of the sofas.

"Hiya," she greeted, smiling faintly.

"There you are," James noted, hands in his pockets, "I brought the Hogsmeade schedule McGonagall gave us down from the dormitory."

"Okay! Perfect."

"So, what do you think of the place?" he posited, looking around.

"It's wicked. I approve," she replied.

"Yeah, I think so too. Remus was looking through the books and said there were a few the library doesn't even have."

She nodded, feeling happy he was making small talk, and then questioned:

"Do you have flowers in your loo as well?"

"I _did_. Sirius threw them out and put up a Falmouth poster instead. He said Head Boys don't do flowers," James relayed, smiling a tad. Lily grinned, "So, the meeting. We delegate rounds and give them the Hogsmeade dates, right?"

"Oh, y-yeah! And inform them about detentions… they can hand them out but have to be sure to fill out a slip, and then give it to that student's Head of House. Those detentions are supervised by Filch," she elaborated, thrown by his sudden change in topic.

"Right. And detentions we give out, _we_ supervise."

"Yes."

"Got it. So what days were you thinking for rounds? Giving which House which day?" he continued.

"Oh, it doesn't matter… we can let them choose," the red head shrugged.

"I know we get Friday. Patrolling three hours by ourselves until midnight… fantastic way to start the weekend."

"Maybe they reckon our common room is consolation!"

James shook his head, amused, and then started as though he remembered something.

"Oh! The Hogwarts ball Dumbledore mentioned!" he uttered, looking at her.

"Ah! That! Of course." Lily said, having forgotten about it.

"Have you given thought to it?"

"No."

"I have... I thought it'd be cool to have a Halloween ball since Slughorn has elaborate Christmas parties and it'd be redundant to do another. There could be a live band… we can discuss the idea with the prefects." James attested.

"That sounds like loads of fun, James!," she nodded, pleased by the idea, "Yeah, we'll discuss it with them."

"All right. Well it's a quarter 'til—do you want to get to the lounge?" he proposed.

"Sure! Let me just grab my pack."

It was exceptionally silent on their way to the prefects' lounge. James was not talking of his own accord so Lily would attempt to break through the silence since she was not particularly fond of it; he would respond politely but it was not in depth or reminiscent of his usual manner of speaking (i.e., vivaciously). When the pair approached their destination its attention was immediately drawn toward the group of Slytherins clustered near the door, of which most were not prefects. Lily looked wary while James' expression was significantly perturbed.

"Should we just go inside? They technically aren't doing anything wrong…" the red head mumbled. Before he could answer a Slytherin was speaking up.

"Look! It's blood traitor Potter!" Mulciber announced. His Housemates chortled.

"Excuse me?" the captain snapped, anger already apparent.

"I meant Head Boy! Head Boy Potter!"

"We have a meeting in a few minutes so you need to be gone by then." Lily alerted in a hard tone.

"Whatever you say Evans. We just wanted to give our Housemates a bit of support." Avery smirked.

"Yes, they'll need it, what with working with such _awful _Heads!" Regulus added. There were more snickers while James gritted his teeth. Lily tugged on his robes.

"Be on time Rosier. And make sure your little playmates are gone by then!" he instructed harshly. The blond shrugged and grinned as the Gryffindors made to go inside.

"Wait, we have one question, Potter!" Snape noted, doing his best to block Lily from his sight.

"Who'd your daddy pay off for you to get the badge?" a sixth year inquired. The snakes all laughed out and the Head Girl had to pull her partner into the room with her to keep him from retorting. Most of the prefects were already present.

"Don't listen to them James! You know they just want to upset you!" she commented, peering at him with a frown.

"I won't have it this year. I won't," he grumbled, his fists clenched. The door then opened behind them and Marlene & Bruce entered alongside Remus. James grabbed his roommate and they separated from the others, leaving the red head's frown to widen.

Minutes later the meeting had begun and the Slytherins were gone (Lily had a sixth year lion go check). They started by selecting a set night of every month to have the meetings, the first Wednesday of each month, and then discussed the handling of detentions and the patrol process.

"So fifth years have 9PM, sixth has ten and seventh has eleven. James and I do Fridays, which leaves each House one day a week. Any preferences?" Lily said, standing next to the Head Boy while everyone else sat. It was quiet while they all glanced at each other.

"We want Monday." Rosier bluntly stated.

"Okay… does every Slytherin want Monday?"

"Yes. We agreed earlier." Flagstone affirmed before anyone else could answer.

"Fine—Slytherin has rounds on Monday. The other Houses?" Lily prompted.

"Er, doesn't really matter I reckon," a Hufflepuff pointed out.

"All right then. Your House has Tuesday, Gryffindor gets Wednesday, and Ravenclaw gets Thursday. Any objections?," James relayed, peering around with crossed arms. People shook their heads, "Every prefect is expected to show up for his or her duty once a week and any foreseen absences must be reported to your Head of House as soon as possible."

"Okay, good—for Ravenclaw, you lot will start rounds tomorrow. Next on the agenda is Hogsmeade," the Head Girl alerted, taking out the parchment she had accepted from her partner, "The first date is the last Saturday of October, on the 26th." Some prefects wrote down the dates as she read the days for November and December as well.

"Questions about that?," he posited. Once again the answer was 'no', "Right. So, Lily and I have something we want to speak to everyone about. Professor Dumbledore thought it'd be good to have a ball this year and we thought a Halloween dance would be cool, so we wanted to work out the plan with all of you."

"Oooh, that sounds wonderful!" a fifth year exclaimed. Energized babbling then commenced about the prospect.

"Yeah. So we're open to thoughts for it." James said.

"James mentioned having a live band." Lily informed.

"Yes!" a Gryffindor agreed.

"Vampire Bite is a great band!" Tracy Mackavely stated.

"The Chocolate Frogs are _much_ better!" a Slytherin contended.

"O-Okay! Those are options!" the red head remarked, preparing to write down their suggestions as a debate began about the choice of band.

"There'll be food, right?" a Hufflepuff pondered.

"Of course. Tons of sweets." James confirmed.

"What about Phoenix Rising? They're a classic band," a sixth year Ravenclaw suggested. Marlene then gasped audibly and raised her hand, a smile illuminating her pretty face.

"This isn't class, McKinnon." Rosier smirked. Bruce, Remus and James all glared at him while the witch rolled her eyes, hand still in the hair.

"Marlene, yes?" Lily called warmly.

"If the dance is for Halloween we should make it costume themed!" she alerted. Everyone looked at her.

"Costumes?" Marcus wondered.

"Yes! Muggles do it! They dress up as animals and lots of things from our world: ghosts, vampires, mermaids, _witches_!" More excited talking then erupted but Flagstone and Rosier were making faces.

"That'd be brilliant!" Gloria commented. The Head Boy and Girl were now grinning.

"Maybe we could have a contest for best costume too!" Remus suggested.

"Yeah!" Bruce uttered.

"That'd be excellent." James said.

"So have we decided on a band?" a Slytherin questioned.

Fifteen minutes later the dance had been outlined and the meeting was nearly finished.

"Okay! So it'll take place Halloween night at 8PM, include third years and up, and be a costume ball! The band choices are Phoenix Rising, Vampire Bite and the Chocolate Frogs, but the headmaster will have the final say on that as well as the prize for best costume," Lily reported, reading the paper, "Now that that's taken care of we can tell Professor Dumbledore."

"Well good job everyone; meeting adjourned." James attested.

"You two did very well as leaders." Marlene stated, strolling up to the Heads with her boyfriend as everyone got up and started leaving the room.

"Thanks."

"Should be an interesting year." Lily vocalized.

"The Halloween dance sounds really fun." Bruce noted, an arm around Marlene's waist.

"It does."

"I think James should go as a stag; something tells me it'd suit him!" Remus joked, smiling a bit. The captain turned to him, a large, disbelieving smirk on his lips.

"Go as a deer?" Marlene asked, appearing amused.

"Stag—_not_ a deer. It's male, much bigger and has antlers." James clarified.

"A male deer." Bruce stated.

"Stag!"

They laughed somewhat and a moment later Marcus had approached them, smiling brightly.

"Lily! I just wanted to say congrats on getting Head Girl; you'll be great. I haven't gotten the chance to tell you yet," he nodded.

"Oh! Well thank you, Marcus!" the witch replied, a tad shocked.

"Yeah. See you all later!"

The Hufflepuff then took his leave, going toward Tracy whom was waiting for him by the door. Lily peered at the other four, a bemused expression on her features.

"Well that was nice! Does it mean we're friendly again?" she posed.

"Perhaps!," Marlene began, "He's going out with Tracy now, did you know?"

"_What_! Is he?"

"Yes. Since July, she said."

"Wow! I didn't know they even!... wow," Lily mused, "I thought she fancied Remus."

"_Huh_?" he said, drawing his head back, stunned, as James gaped.

"She told me at the start of sixth year that she fancied you… I guess that's changed."

Remus gawked at his dorm mate.

"Mr. Lupin! You are more of a witch magnet than you give yourself credit for!" James remarked, ruffling his friend's brown hair.

When the lions returned to their common room they saw their friends sitting near the hearth talking and doing homework simultaneously, so they chose to join them.

"I think the school will be excited when it hears what we have planned for Halloween!" Marlene mentioned, perched on the floor and smiling.

"Tell us!" Peter encouraged.

"Wormy, it'd ruin the surprise." James relayed in a lazy voice, running a quill's feather across his face.

"Is it live dragons? I bet it's dragons." Sirius offered, seated next to his best friend.

"Do you ever talk about anything _not_ dangerous?" Dorcas inquired.

"No."

Mary, who had been relatively quiet since the four had come back, gave Remus a long glance and then spoke up.

"Remus," she prompted. (She was on the floor as well).

"Hmm?" he vocalized, having been grinning.

"May I ask something?"

" 'Course, Mary."

"Is Holland your girlfriend?" Mary questioned, gazing at him.

It was quiet. Remus looked surprised along with a few others. She waited patiently.

"Erm!," he started, peering at his roommates with alarm, "Abby? Uh, well, no! Er, no! Um, we're not… she's not—not yet…" Alice and Lily glanced at one another while James had an eyebrow raised. Mary nodded nimbly

"Well, I think it's good she's not; there are other girls out there," she notified, going back to her work.

The quietness persisted for the most part as they all slowly returned to completing homework but the unspoken issue in the air hung heavy between them. Covert glances and smiles were shared between certain friends and Remus found that his gaze would stray to Mary often, highly baffled. Roughly an hour later the boys and girls bid good night to each other and went to their separate dormitories.

"Well… Mary sure had an interesting comment!" Sirius ventured when they were in the room, smirking slightly. Remus simply looked at him. (Later into the night when all five laid in their beds with the light out and waiting for sleep to claim them, James uttered, in a sing-song voice, "witch magnet!").

* * *

The headmaster happily announced the Halloween dance on Friday morning at breakfast to the student population and it was very well received—the costume theme had everyone buzzing with excitement. Lily and James also had their first duty of rounds that night and the former found that she was both apprehensive and looking forward to it. They would be in the sole presence of one another for three hours so perhaps he would break out of his recent friendly-but-aloof manner with her. The plan was to start at the ground floor and move to the top of the castle then back down until their shift was over, so the witch met him near the Great Hall at ten o'clock. When the captain arrived Lily almost instantly started talking about a topic (the human transfiguration they would be performing that year), hoping to get James in the talking mood. He actively engaged her but when the subject ran its course a quarter of an hour later, their first, extended pause followed to her displeasure. She frowned inside as she thought of something else to bring up; it was never normally this hard to speak to James, even when they had not gotten along! Conversation typically flowed easily and lightly between them, fueled by his charismatic demeanor. It was one of the reasons Lily enjoyed being in his company.

"So… any ideas on what you want to be for the dance?" she tried, peering up at him.

"Mmm, not yet," came the response.

"Nothing Quidditch related?"

"We'll see," he half smiled.

The two were on their way back down the castle, on the fifth fourth floor, and had only taken a handful of steps when they saw a group of students loitering near a classroom, its members cackling over something. James tensed up right away when he observed who the kids were: Regulus, one of his roommates, and two Slytherin sixth years.

"Why is it always Black?" Lily vocalized, clicking her tongue.

"Trying to prove something," James grumbled, shaking his head, "Come on."

The four snakes saw the Heads before they reached them and quieted down some, although they did not move an inch.

"D'you know what time it is?" the captain steely asked when they were face to face.

"Can't say we do, actually," a sixth year smirked.

"It's past curfew."

"Is it really?" his dorm mate pondered.

"Yes. So stop acting ignorant of this and go to the dungeons." Lily instructed.

"How rude!" the other fifth year remarked.

"But we'd rather stay up here." Regulus grinned, arms folded.

"Regulus, we're _not_ playing this game," James stated harshly, "You are not supposed to be out so you and your Housemates need to go. Now."

Sirius' brother glared at the Head Boy defiantly, a bit of color from embarassment gracing his face. How dare James speak to him that way and use his first name, as though the two were on such a familiar basis! Regulus had disregarded James before he disowned Sirius, seeing the Potter boy as a significant factor in ruining his sibling, and he faithfully despised him for it.

"And what if we decide to not go?" a sixth year gruffly questioned, squaring off.

"Detention for a month, every day from 7PM until curfew." Lily snapped, eyeing him. All of the snakes appeared to deflate at her statement yet continued to look irritated.

"Let's just go, make them stop crying," the other fifth year mumbled, turning away. Regulus was the last one to follow his Housemates, his heated scowl at James not faltering.

"You have no weight with me, _Potter_," he muttered as he left.

"He's definitely a handful," she exhaled when the quartet had disappeared.

"Yep. His mother and father's new hope and heir… have to right the wrong that is Sirius," her partner answered, shaking his head once more in resignation.

* * *

A/N: I'm thinking I'll post chapter 45 in _one_ week instead of two, as a little treat for all of you. Good idea? I think so :) There wasn't too much going on in this one and it seems mean to make you wait 14 days for the next installment.


	45. Engaging in the Pursuit

A/N: I got sick the day I was supposed to type up this chapter, dear readers, and remained sick for a few days. Poo **:/ **As such, it is late. I'm rarely ever sick so took it as a personal insult. RSOT:

_Aeiry: _Your Voldemort prediction made me laugh heartily because I was picturing him attending for fun, not to wreck havoc, ha ha ha. What a turn of events that'd be!

_Batamut: _As you will see, I mention that in this chapter. For some unknown reason I did not think about that fact much when I made him the DADA professor, so I'm gonna have to play this by ear in the fic and pull something good out of my ass, lol.

_WaveRider: _Yes, I like Snape very much actually. Thanks for your review!

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 45**

By Monday James received the list for Quidditch tryouts, Lily had figured out his attitude regarding her, and owls began delivering letters about the new Defense professor. The weekend had confirmed Lily's hunch about the Head Boy—he was being friendly but aloof and she knew it made her feel notable discomfort. James was not personal with her as he had once been, no longer made her feel as if she was the only person on Earth when they spoke; his interaction with her revolved almost exclusively around classes or Head duties. He was no longer seeking her out. (Lily also observed Detz flittering around him at certain points during the weekend and it gripped her with persisting aggravation). However, she did not pretend as though she was unaware of the cause in his change of behavior and recognized it was connected to their conversation the first night back. And what was Lily to say? "I know you want a real relationship James but I'm not sure if I want the same thing, yet I don't like the way you're treating me now, even though you're still being civil. So can we go back to the closeness we established during sixth year although I'm not ready to progress to something more? Oh, and stay away from Detz—she's no good for you". Perhaps this request would work had she not made out with him, twice; her actions indicated she _did_ feel more than friendship and this is what James had interpreted it as, understandably. Thus, Lily did not have much of a choice but to accept his demeanor and hope it would revert to its previous stance, as well as analyze her feelings for him and identify what they truly were. (She did this every night she laid in her four poster waiting to fall asleep but found that it usually kept her up longer and resulted in dreams involving James).

In regard to Boderick, many parents sent letters to the school about his appointment as a teacher after hearing about his condition from their children. Most of the letters were negative and conveyed indignation over his employment but there were also some that hailed Dumbledore's kindness and acceptance of people from all magical backgrounds. Rhonda and John Lupin had sent one of these approving messages, for instance. On Wednesday Boderick spoke about the letters before they delved into the day's work.

"So it seems that many of your parents have opinions about me serving as your professor this year," he alerted, standing in front of the desk and peering around patiently. There was shifting in seats and glances as the pupils digested his words. It took a moment before anyone replied but when it happened it was Snape.

"Well, it's to be expected," the boy commenced a tad sternly, "You _are_ a werewolf… sir." Remus and Lily were among those whom gave Snape a dirty look.

"I am… but I am also a wizard. In fact, I was a wizard before I received my affliction." Boderick reported. This seemed to shut Severus up but he glowered.

"If you've made arrangements for full moons I don't see why people are so concerned, enough to complain." Alice said, looking bothered.

"Why thank you Ms. Waite. I agree that as long as I do my job as a good teacher there should be no conflict, but prejudice is deep seeded. Perhaps some parents are worried I will convert you all into my little army of werewolves."

There was laughter at this but the Slytherin males did not look amused.

"That'd be pretty cool, actually." Sirius affirmed. Boderick smiled at him along with a few others.

"But aren't you worried that you may be removed from the post? If parents write enough letters…" Rosier pointed out, arms crossed.

"Then they would observe me in class, teaching you students. If they found evidence based upon their observation then they would call me in for a hearing, and from that hearing determine my fate. But, I am not worried and do not anticipate such problems. Now—let's go over last night's homework shall we? After that we'll begin our new spell: _relashio_." Boderick explained, smiling.

When Defense was over Remus told his roommates he wanted to talk to them before they went to eat lunch and stated it could not be discussed in the dining hall with so many present. He looked somewhat panicked when telling them and they all consented, sensing his anxiety; the Marauders left the girls and Frank and went to the Heads' common room since it was the closest structure to them.

"What is it Moony?" Peter wondered when they were all inside minutes later. Remus was pacing near the entrance, something that caught them all off guard. Remus never paced.

"I c-can't believe it's taken me this long to realize… so _stupid_! Should've been my first thought when we found out he was our professor!," he rambled, hands moving everywhere, "How will I hide it now? Another one!" His friends glanced at one another carefully, noticing his uncharacteristic agitation.

"Remus, what's wrong? What are you going on about?" James pondered slowly, his concern growing.

"Boderick! Full moons! We'll be gone _at the same times_!"

The other three were stunned into pausing, merely left to gape at the prefect during this period. He was right…

"What, what am I going to do? Huh? People will notice our coinciding absences! And he put it well out there that he's a werewolf which will only cause everyone to rightfully assume I'm the same thing! Sodding _hell_!" the prefect continued, having stopped pacing but now gripping his hair frantically.

"Remus, don't worry! It'll… it'll be fine! That won't happen!" Sirius told him, stepping forward with earnest.

"Really? You think so Sirius? Please, enlighten me!"

"Well it's been established for years now that you go to visit your mother every month! It's not even a doubt in most people's minds at this point! And—"

"And you're always gone for two days and one night! M-Maybe the transformation affects Boderick differently, maybe he'll only be out for a day or so!" Peter helped.

"Ha! That mother lie will fall apart when people notice we're always gone at the same time." Remus dismissed shortly.

"Well what about what Peter said? It's a fair point!" James mentioned, feeling a bit desperate now like the other two in order to make the Lupin boy feel reassured, feel safe.

"Fair but weak."

The abruptness of Remus' remark rendered them all quiet once more as they were unaccustomed with him being callous. They knew, however, how distraught and vulnerable he must have felt and sympathized.

"Moony, we will do our best to make sure your lycanthropy goes undetected this year. Snape may know but he's not even allowed to make the slightest hint about it to anyone," the Head Boy reported solemnly, "And since you're this worried about it, as you have every right to be, speak to Dumbledore."

"Yeah. I'm sure you'd two come up with a solution." Sirius attested, nodding.

"Or maybe even Boderick…" Peter mentioned.

Remus exhaled deeply, relaxing his taut muscles and brains while he closed his eyes.

"Yeah. You lot are… you lads are… I should talk to the headmaster," he noted. His tone had lost its frenetic quality, "I should get some clarity; we can figure it out. Although I haven't told Boderick about me, he still may have hunches…"

"Will you?" Peter inquired after a pause.

"I think so, eventually… I think I can trust him, and maybe he'd be able, and willing, to advise me."

"Do… do you see yourself telling others about it at some point? Our year?" James posited sensitively. The prefect peered at him.

"I don't know. I've… wondered about it." Remus murmured.

"They know you, Remus—like you. Care about you, like we do; I think you'd be surprised at how they might take it." Sirius explained.

"Yeah. Frank, Alice and Marlene are labeled blood traitors like us, Lily and Mary are Muggleborns, and there's Dorcas, the spitfire. I don't reckon they'd have trouble accepting a werewolf." James relayed, smiling. Peter and Sirius grinned and even Remus smiled briefly.

"No worries Remus." Peter commented.

"Let's go to lunch, mates," the prefect suggested, another flimsy smile gracing his features as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "Thanks."

That night Dorcas and James went over the names on the Quidditch tryout list in Gryffindor Tower as their friends buzzed around them. Marlene, Alice and Frank were out in the castle (the brunette with her boyfriend) and Mary sat with Lily, although neither witch was being too talkative; Mary was doing History of Magic reading and Lily was occasionally watching James and Dorcas behind her own book. (The captain was interacting with his teammate without the reserve he held for the red head and she dejectedly recognized she missed it). Consequently, the Marauders were much the same as the girls: Sirius gazed around the room distractedly, Peter also watched the Quidditch players, and Remus, whom had been rather subdued since lunch, stared into the hearth. After 15 minutes had passed, Mary set down her book with a small sigh.

"Lily, I'm going to take care of something," she muttered, looking at her.

"What?" Lily prompted, furrowing her brow in interest.

"I'll explain when I get back."

The Head Girl watched as her dorm mate got up and walked over to Remus, then bent down and asked if he would be willing to talk to her outside the common room. He started a bit but quickly agreed, then stood up and the pair began to move toward the portrait hole without saying much. Lily, Sirius and Peter gazed at them leave then stared at each other when they had gone.

"Well, you might as well join us, Lily. You've been dumped." Sirius alerted after a few moments. She looked at the two Marauders, to James and Dorcas (whom were currently smiling), and then nodded twice, gathering her things.

"Any idea what she wants?" Peter questioned when she had relocated.

"Not really," the witch acknowledged.

"Are prefects allowed to stay out past curfew?" Sirius inquired, looking at her.

"No, but they face less questioning because of their status. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. Marlene's new and someone might tell her differently or something… don't want her to get in trouble. And she spends loads of time with Bowyer, so."

"But he's a prefect too." Peter pointed out.

"Yeah, well he may not know the rule! Or care about it." Sirius responded. The red head peered at him with intrigue for a couple seconds before saying:

"Marlene'll be fine, I'm sure."

He shrugged, eyes downcast as he toyed with a quill. It seemed that everyone's minds were preoccupied with other concerns that night, whether they were conscious of them or not.

Alice and Frank were the first ones to return to the tower followed by a smiling Marlene and then Remus and Mary, at different intervals. When the last two arrived the witch walked straight to her dormitory where Dorcas already was, choosing to not stay downstairs with the others; Remus stood next to his dorm mates with his hands stuffed in his pockets and watched her go, not saying very much. Lily was anxious to find out what had happened between the pair so she waited a few minutes before going upstairs, not wanting to seem too obvious. When she entered the girls' room she saw Mary lying on her bed playing with Sasha the Puffskein while Dorcas sat on the floor polishing her broom.

"What happened?" the Head Girl prompted, closing the door. The other two looked up.

"What do you mean?" the half blood pondered.

"She left us to talk to Remus, remember?"

"She did? When?"

"Hmm. I suppose you were too wrapped up talking to James to notice." Lily answered in a cool tone, sitting on Mary's four poster and kicking off her shoes. Dorcas peered at her as Autumn jumped onto the mattress, meowing once.

"Well go on and tell us, Mary," the red head continued, "What was it about?" The witch in question sat up and the cat became still as she noticed Sasha.

"Well," Mary commenced, exhaling, "I told Remus how I felt about him."

Her friends' mouths fell open in surprise as they looked at her.

"Oh, did you?" Dorcas exclaimed. The Macdonald girl nodded.

"Mary, that's good! It is!" Lily commented. Autumn sprang toward Mary and the Puffskein but Lily snatched her away in time, and the feline whined in protest.

"Well what'd he say? How'd it go?" asked Dorcas.

"What'd _you_ say?"

"I told Remus I've fancied him since fifth year and I got tired of being silent," Mary started, getting up to put Sasha in her tank since she was squirmy from Autumn's attention, "I just reminded him how well we get on and I'd like something more since he's such a great wizard. I told him that it bothers me to see him with Holland, that it's our last year, and I didn't want to miss my chance of telling him the truth."

"And?" Lily inquired.

"He… he just listened! He didn't say very much. He was a little shocked, I reckon, but not totally. He agreed that we _do _get along well and told me I'm 'a wonderful witch', and said there's loads to think about—things definitely worth thinking about." There was a short pause before Dorcas posited:  
"He told you he needs time to think?"

"Yes." Mary confirmed.

"Well he didn't say no so it's not a bad thing! He just has to sort out his brain!" the red head mentioned. She knew absolutely what that was like!

"Yeah, and he called you wonderful! Not to mention how nice he is to you all the time," observed Dorcas. The other girl gave a half shrug, half nod.

"Mary, I think only good'll come out of this. I'm proud you told Remus." There was another short interval of silence.

"So, now I wait and hope it'll be worth it." Mary relayed, looking at them.

"Like Lily implied—it will be," the Chaser encouraged.

Alice and Marlene walked into the dormitory half an hour later so the story had to be retold, and they too were optimistic for Mary's chances, citing that Remus had been very quiet downstairs as though reflecting.

"Sirius, on the other hand… sometimes I wonder if he knows the meaning of 'quiet'!" Marlene smiled.

* * *

The connection between Lily & James' situation and Remus & Mary's was uncanny, and the Head Girl took rapid note of this. James was in Mary's shoes, waiting on an answer from Lily, but it was even worse for them because they had crossed a physical boundary and more than once. She told herself she still did not know how she felt yet did experience increasing guilt and pressure for keeping him baited; _was_ she merely afraid, as he had suggested? It was two days later on Friday when Lily tried for some clarity by speaking to Mary while they sat out in the courtyard during a free period.

"Mary," the red head began, staring at her feet as the two sat on a bench, "May I ask you something?"

"Sure," the other witch responded, casually grazing through an American Muggle novel by Stephen King.

"What made you tell Remus your feelings?"

Mary looked away from the book and peered at her.

"Well… time, I suppose. I felt it was time to say something—I'd kept it in for so long. And… you want to be with someone when you really like them, so, you have to tell them eventually, to find out how _they_ feel," she relayed thoughtfully.

"And when did you first notice you cared about him? I mean, how did you know?" Lily wondered.

"The typical signs, you know!," smiled Mary, "Being happy to see him, getting lightheaded when he looks at you, loving his smile, thinking he's really good looking, hoping he'll touch you… missing him when he's gone."

"Being jealous of other girls wanting his attention…"

"Oy, of course!" There was a quick stint of silence before Lily continued.

"Have you ever been… afraid of your feelings for him?" she asked.

"Yeah. Loads of people experience that, I reckon. For me, it was mostly being scared he would reject me," Mary answered. Lily nodded gently, "But, in the end, the idea of a missed chance is even scarier; he may not feel the same way but he also _may_. I'd rather know than regret never saying anything and remaining in doubt. You're able to move on, if you have to, once you tell."

The Head Girl let out a tiny sigh, staring at her feet once more. Her friend had good points and her mind worked to place them in relation to herself and James. With her second round of a three hour patrol with him later that night, he was once again dominating her thoughts.

"Mary," Lily started, feeling now was a perfect time to be honest, "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"It's… it's about me and James. It started right before the end of sixth year…"

The girls were nearly late for their next class. Mary had been enthralled to hear about Lily's predicament with James and listened to her many thoughts, feelings, and concerns about it all.

"So Marlene and Alice have known… why didn't you tell me sooner!"

"I don't know—lots of reasons! Things got in the way… but also because I've no idea what I should do, or how to sort this out!"

Mary made it quite evident that she believed that, while Lily was still stunned by her actions regarding James, the red head definitely had the same romantic feelings as he did.

"You're behaving like this because it shocks you, but you fancy him, Lily. You do. Your body's accepted it and now your mind has to," she attested.

Mary's blunt appraisal of the situation left the Head Girl feeling a bit stupid and exposed. Was that it? Was she simply refusing to accept her emotions and over thinking everything when she already knew the answer? It was another fairly quiet patrol that night with the Head Boy, much to her exasperation, so she let herself entertain the picture of becoming James' girlfriend. The idea surely gave her small yet plentiful butterflies—she had never imagined this at any other point since being at Hogwarts. Lily thought about how much she did not know about him but also about how much she had learned about him last year alone. She considered how colossal their numerous fights had been in the past but also how he had stood up for her since day one, even when he was on her list of dislikes. The two parted ways at midnight when their rounds had ended, and as James wished Lily a simple good night while ascending the boys' staircase, she could not help but feel saddened at the sight of his retreating back.

The weekend was rather uneventful but Gryffindor's Quidditch captain and his teammates were anticipating the short tryouts for Chaser on Monday. (Since only one spot had to be filled it was surmised that no more than an hour would be needed for the task). Remus remained somewhat withdrawn for the two days and did not spend time with others apart from the Marauders, while Lily continued to James-watch. Was she ready to approach him again about _them_? If she was, what would come out of her mouth? The girl had never been in such discord in her life, and seeing Cathy hanging around James, again, on Sunday made her feel more disgruntled. Lily had considered putting a discreet Belching Charm on the Hufflepuff witch but reluctantly decided that would not be very Head Girlish. There were other wizards in the school for Detz to pester! Lily wondered if she should discuss her dilemma with Remus since he was close to both her and James, but the prefect seemed to be caught up with his own issues that weekend.

Monday arrived and the third week of the term commenced, bringing with it the first full moon on Friday night. The Slug Club received invitations to the first meeting of the year which was the following Monday at 8PM, and Boderick told his seventh year students that every Tuesday & Thursday would be devoted to Patroni, beginning the succeeding day. This excited the teenagers.

"So Prongs, it's been two weeks. What's going on with Lily?" questioned Sirius. The four boys were walking toward the pitch for the tryouts. The trials started in ten minutes and dinner had begun five minutes previously, meaning everyone would miss the first hour of the meal.

James let out a pathetic scoff and shook his head.

"Don't know—you'd have to ask her. She hasn't said anything since that night," he reported, carrying his Nimbus.

"Nothing? But you two are together loads of times and you're Heads! You talk!" Peter probed.

"Yeah, but not about us. I've kind of kept the talking to a minimum on my end. I don't want to make it harder on myself."

"You don't want to pretend as though nothing happened between you two." Remus observed, his tie loosened for once.

"Exactly." James affirmed.

"She can't keep you waiting forever, mate, especially with Detz very willing to take her place." Sirius alerted.

"I know…" his best friend mumbled, nodding glumly.

"She needs some kind of kick in the arse. And so do you, Moony! Have you talked to Mary since Wednesday, when she told you she wants to become Mrs. Lupin and have sixty-seven children?"

"No…" Remus muttered, looking sideways at Sirius.

"And why not?" he asked.

"Because it's not so simple. Mary's lovely, and now I know she… she fancies me, but there's Abby…"

"So are you going to ask out Holland?" Peter inquired.

"Well, I-I'm not… I don't know." Remus revealed.

"I don't see why the hell not! Both skirts like you and you get on with each of them—make a choice. Doesn't seem too complicated to me." Sirius contested.

"There's more to it," the prefect insisted in a quiet, grumpy voice, furrowing his brow.

"Godric! One mate has two witches after him and another is secretly holding out for one he wants while talking to another. Women and love, I tell you! The mess of it all!"

"Wow. And some of us don't have any witches." Peter noted, looking at them. James and Sirius laughed at this and even Remus chuckled, but Peter appeared as if he had been serious.

"You can live the bachelor life with Padfoot," the captain grinned.

"You need a flat and amazing hair, neither of which he has. Acquire these and I'll teach you my ways," smirked Sirius.

They got to the Quidditch field and saw many of their Housemates (including their year) sitting in the stands, while the team stood on the grass with six other lions.

"Your Beaters are missing." Sirius pointed out.

"Of course they are." James sighed.

"See you in the stands." Remus half smiled as the three departed. The Head Boy approached the nine people waiting on the ground.

"Just waiting on Rodrigo and Kirby," he announced, nodding at the six potentials.

"Nothing new, right?" Dorcas commented. Mitchell grinned.

"Can we get new Beaters too?" Elizabeth wondered in jest.

"Not a bad thought." James smirked.

The boys showed up with three minutes to spare, very blasé, and James started the team introductions. He then told the hopeful Gryffindors he needed a player who was going to mold well with the dynamics of the team and other Chasers, as well as one who could "fly and score like no tomorrow".

"So we'll do three laps around the pitch to begin then a short match of three on three with you lot, and end with each of you completing two plays with me and Dorcas. And I see you all have brooms—good. Any questions?," he uttered. They shook their heads, glancing at one another, "Right then. Up you go."

James blew his whistle and the current team members shot into the air rapidly, with the newcomers following their lead after a few moments. He was the last person to mount his broomstick and gazed into the stands for a bit before he soared into the sky.

All of the seventh year witches were present for the tryouts and, while they sat near the boys they did not sit with them, which was a deliberate decision. They too were discussing the entanglements of their adolescent love lives.

"Nothing more from Remus then, Mary?" Alice pondered.

"No," she confirmed, glancing at him once.

"No worries yet. It's probably just Abigail on his mind, keeping him from moving forward."

"That, or he just doesn't see me in the same way."

"No, that's not it! He likes you!," Marlene vocalized, "He's stuck, just like Lily is with James!" The red head looked at her sharply.

"Maybe not quite the same. _I _have yet to snog Remus." Mary mentioned with a hint of a smirk.

"Speaking of that, have _you_ spoken to James?" Alice posited.

"What do you think?" Lily responded, sporting a tiny frown.

"Come now, Lily!"

"I told her how she feels and that she's denying it," offered Mary.

"You've been struggling with this since June, Lily. Don't you think it's time to make a decision?" Marlene inquired.

"I want to! I don't _like_ being in limbo! It's just… just!" the Head Girl raved. There was silence as she trailed off, not finding a coherent thought to finish her sentence. Just what?

"Stop over analyzing—what's the worst that could happen?" Alice remarked, smiling a tad. Lily slumped down, not answering and putting her chin in the palms of her hands. There was nothing to truly say.

"I say both Remus and Ms. Evans here just push everything aside and go for it! Make two more happy Gryffindor couples," grinned Marlene.

It was somewhat difficult concentrating on the tryouts for Lily and her gaze wandered to Remus when her eyes were not glued on James flying through the air. Perhaps she _should_ talk to him—they were good friends and in similar predicaments, and it was possible they could give one another insight and advice. The hour was up before anyone noticed and the captain called everyone into a tight circle as the observers started trickling down from the stands in order to move closer to the players.

"All right, wicked job everyone, really! You lot were impressive as a whole," he declared, peering around, "Givens, sorry about that Bludger to the head. Kirby was way off." He was addressing one of Mitchell's roommates and Kirby had the decency to appear sincerely abashed as everyone looked at him.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry. Total accident," the Beater apologized.

"It's fine; it only grazed me." Givens revealed bracingly.

"Right. I wish I could keep all of you but there's no need for eight Chasers," James continued, shrugging playfully, "With that being said, I know who I'm choosing. For five of you, don't get discouraged because next year there'll be _two_ spots open after Dorcas and I've gone, and the captain will know your talent."

Elizabeth and Rodrigo smiled at each other, knowing either one of them would be receiving the captain's badge come next year.

"So, the third Chaser I've picked is… Kara Sommers," the Head Boy said brightly.

An excited yelp resounded as a black girl with her dark hair in a bun dropped her broom and started grinning uncontrollably. The other five Gryffindors gazed at her as many people began cheering, clapping or congratulating her, and her roommates ran up to her with squeals of happiness. As the players and observers merged as one, the remaining potentials accepted their rejection with moderate disappointment.

"Bang up job, Kara! Cheers!" Kirby saluted, grinning proudly. (She was also a fifth year).

"Welcome to the team!" Dorcas bid, shaking her hand.

"You'll fit in perfectly!" Elizabeth stated, smiling.

"Don't let Meadowes and Potter steal your shine!" quipped Rodrigo.

"First lesson: don't listen to the Beaters." James informed. Kara laughed.

"Thanks James, everyone!" she replied, the wide smile still on her cute face.

"No thanks. You're the one who did a smashing job!"

By now the seventh years had found their two Quidditch counterparts.

"So can we go eat now? Starved, you know," Sirius commented, an arm around his best friend's shoulder and grinning warmly at Kara, "Nice pick, by the way." (Remus gave her a friendly 'congratulations' as well).

"Yes. After flying for an hour my stomach is angry!" Dorcas noted.

" 'Course," the captain relented, noticing his teammates departing with their own friends, "Hey! Team meeting on Thursday at 8:30! We'll be going over the schedule for matches and practices. And Spooner! Watch where you put that hand on my Keeper!"

"Oh James!" Alice teased as Chris instantly dropped his hand from Elizabeth's lower back and glanced back at the Head Boy, smirking.

"I'm sure Spooner will love you meddling with their relationship this year," joked Peter.

"He won't mind it. He's just glad Lizzie agreed to be his girlfriend, got over Sirius." James grinned.

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful," he ordered.

* * *

The following day brought the first Patronus lesson for the seventh years and they were exhilarated about it. They had read the chapter about the charm in the textbook for homework and were eager to put the magic into practical use.

"I hope everyone read the assigned chapter," Boderick said when the bell had rung. There were many fierce nods, "Very good. Who can tell me the incantation for the Patronus charm?" Hands shot into the air.

"Mmm… Ms. Leon?"

"_Expecto patronum_," the Slytherin witch replied.

"Yes! Indeed. Ten points to Slytherin," the professor deemed, "Patroni act as both protective shields and messengers. They are projections of happiness and hope and, as such, are produced when the caster thinks of an exceptionally strong, happy memory. Their form depends on the witch or wizard and they have the ability to change form, usually the result of an emotional upheaval for the person."

"May we see yours, Professor?" Sean Worthings, a Ravenclaw, posed.

"But of course."

Boderick brandished his wand and pointed it, bellowing out the necessary words with a determined face; moments later, a giraffe burst forth and cantered in between the tables, rearing its long neck. The students gasped in awe and stared at it appreciatively.

"It will be months before any of you can produce one in its full form, but that is my goal," he explained. He waved his wand and the giraffe vanished, "Today we will practice the incantation. If it is done correctly a silver wisp should flow from the end of your wands. Everyone up!"

The wooden benches scrapped against the floor as the teenagers stood up with zeal, ready to practice the charm.

"All right. Pick a happy memory on which to focus, an event that gave you notable joy," Boderick lectured, starting to walk between the desks, "I will give you thirty seconds."

James racked his brain, knowing he had many from which to choose. He did not want it to be too happy because they were just beginning the process and he'd rather save a more powerful memory for later, so he settled with the recollection of getting his Nimbus 1500 the previous year. Lily, on the other hand, picked the thought of receiving her prefect badge the summer before fifth year. When the half minute was over the professor spoke again.

"Is everyone ready? With the memory firm in your mind, point your wand and exclaim '_expecto patronum_'! On my count, now. One, two, three!" he stated.

The seventh years followed his directions but there were no results the first time around. He told them to try again and this time there were a couple, vapid wisps of silver from certain wand ends.

"We will do this the entire session so keep it up! Keep trying! Don't lose the memory!" Boderick informed.

It did not take very long for quite a few of them to achieve a strong grasp of the spell and James found that his wisp grew brighter and more solid with happier memories. The class period came to an end before anyone truly noticed and their homework was to write a 24 inch essay about Patroni origins, as well as thinking of five particularly pleasant memories.

"I do not require these to be turned in—I simply want you all to have these recollections at the ready. Next class is a double so we will continue practicing, discuss Patroni utilized to combat dementors, and go over our newest spell. Good day everyone!" the professor bid as they left.

"He's an excellent professor, isn't he? And it's not even been a month!" Marlene remarked.

"Yes. He has a way of teaching that pulls you in," agreed Lily, nodding.

"I can't wait to see our Patronus forms." Frank said, holding Alice's hand.

"Oh, I know!" Mary uttered.

"I reckon mine will be something terribly manly and suave." Sirius predicted.

"What? Like a cockroach?" a voice interjected. It belonged to Bruce, and he merged with the lions to be at Marlene's side, grinning. There were laughs but none from Sirius, who gazed at the Ravenclaw astutely.

"You laugh at everyone else Sirius, laugh at yourself!" Dorcas instructed, smiling.

"I do laugh," he notified, smoothing out his sleeves, "When it's actually funny." He mumbled this last part and only James heard him; like a best friend, he smirked in amusement.

Lily was also smiling from Bruce's joke and when she felt someone brush against her arm she attuned to her left and saw Worthings.

"Hey Lily," he greeted, smiling at her.

"Hi, Sean," she responded. He winked and continued on his way with one of his roommates.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Oh no… boys were engaging in pursuit of her once more, it seemed! The red head never had felt utterly at ease with all the attention she received from males; she had no clue what she did to make them flock to her. Lily looked quickly at James, maybe to see if he had noticed Sean's hello, but he was not paying her attention—he was speaking exclusively to a neutral faced Sirius. She peered ahead at Sean's back, a tiny sigh escaping her.

* * *

A/N: Since I am almost a week late in posting chapter 45 I will post 46 within the next ten days. I really need to catch up on writing more, though; I've been slacking the past few weeks, he he. ::Embarrassed smile::

I do have to say, though, that I'm quite sure everyone will enjoy the next chapter very much. All of your frustrations and questions will disappear, much like someone in this very story! Resolution, dear readers, that is what you will get: resolution. 'Til then!


	46. One Hundred Reasons Why

A/N: So this chapter is coming 3 weeks after the previous one (but something tells me you'll love it). I know it's been awhile, dear readers, and I can only attribute my lengthy absence to school. Every semester I have a period where I am swamped with work and projects and I am currently at that point, so my time to work on this fic takes a hit. That's graduate school for you… RSOT: thank you to _Ripplerose_ and _Sarahrules_!

* * *

**Who's To Say? **

**Chapter 46**

Lily did not understand how Mary was dealing with Remus' recent distance so well. It had only been a week for her whereas it was two and a half for the red head, but Lily found that she absolutely hated her altered stance with James. She missed the closeness the two had worked to build during sixth year and that is all there was to it. She cursed the Head Boy for making her care so much and was reminded of the summer; he would not get out of her head for anything.

"How do you do it Mary? Handle the way Remus is acting towards you?" the Head Girl questioned in a miserable voice, lying on one of the couches in the Head common room. She stared up at the chandelier.

It was Thursday night and the girls were visiting this room with Alice and Marlene while the Quidditch team had its first meeting in Gryffindor tower. The other three witches sat on the floor with books, parchment, magazines and Gobstones littered around them.

"Well, I'm not in horrible denial of my feelings for him, and I'm happy to see that he's not been hanging around Holland since we talked. So, I manage," she relayed, smirking at Lily. The red head narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.

"Why do you ask, Lily?" Alice probed smartly, trying not to smile.

"It wouldn't be because _you_ are having a hard time with someone, or don't like seeing a Hufflepuff girl throw herself at this someone, would it?" Marlene inquired.

"She doesn't throw herself at him!" Lily snapped, leaning over to face them.

They stared at her with surprised countenances due to the tone of her voice, but they soon changed into satisfied, knowing smirks. She stared back but it did not take long before her bottom lip started to tremble and her resolve crumbled, and she threw herself back into her original position.

"Oh God! What has he _done_ to me?" Lily cried out in despair as though she were ill. Giddy shrieks and giggles floated to her ears from the floor.

"Made you feel the way he does!" Marlene reported happily, at the edge of the sofa now. The Head Girl groaned.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Alice posited animatedly.

"It's not stubbornness—it's confusion!" Lily retorted.

"You are _not_ confused anymore, Lily! You're in shock—shock that you want to lock yourself in a room with James Potter and do loads of unmentionable things!" Mary grinned devilishly. The red head snatched a couch pillow and hurled it at her roommate, whom laughed.

"Just let yourself fall for him, Lily; he'll catch you." Marlene affirmed, smiling. She met her gaze apprehensively.

Remus was back in the infirmary the succeeding night in preparation for the moon on Saturday. The sick mother lie started back up and he was so worried about people making connections to Boderick that he forced himself to attend classes that day in case the professor was missing.

"I don't want people to notice we're both gone," he relayed.

As it turned out Boderick was present, and the Marauders noted that he did not look that bad. He appeared to be a little under the weather, yes, as if he had a cold, but he seemed much better than Remus, who was pale, looked a little nauseous, and had to control his trembling.

"No need for my absence today! I shall only ever be gone the day following a full, sometimes the day of if it is too bad," the professor told them. The Slytherin males along with a few other pupils were studying him disapprovingly, with the blatant reminder of his lycanthropy. They gave the impression it was going to be a tense lesson.

"Well he looks all right!" Peter vocalized.

"I know." Sirius added.

"Maybe because he's older?" hypothesized Remus, with drawn brows.

"It'd be interesting to see how he looks tomorrow." James mentioned.

Lily did not want to have a third, near silent patrol with her partner that night so she thought of multiple topics to speak about throughout the day and made mental notes of them. She had woken up that morning with an urge to wear his orchid pin and so she had, and it remained in her hair for rounds. The two talked about Remus for a stint and his ailing mother and when that was over she chose one of her topics.

"So when is our first Quidditch match?" she questioned.

"November first. We're playing Ravenclaw." James responded.

"Cool… when do you think you're going to have practices for the team?"

"I gave Crimps my preferences today—I asked for Tuesday and Thursday, and Fridays on reserve. She's going to make the schedule over the weekend."

"I'd love to keep the Cup in Gryffindor's possession." Lily stated.

"Of course," he confirmed, glancing at her.

"How long have you loved Quidditch, then?"

"Since I was about… four? That's when I saw my first professional match."

"That young? Really?," she said, "I'd like to go to an actual match one day—it'd be great."

"Yeah…," James uttered, peering at her oddly, "Are you feeling inspired by Quidditch at the moment?" The witch looked at him. Was that something of a smirk on his face?

"No! I'm just curious!" Lily defended.

"Okay."

He said this with a small chuckle, looking at the floor. She told herself to continue with probing about his childhood, for it was a subject she did like hearing about, but something suddenly surfaced at the forefront of her mind and her brash side seized it before it could be stopped.

"Oh! I, uh, I-I found a cloak today out in the courtyard… a girl's! It had the Hufflepuff crest on it. We should let their prefects know and tell any of our friends in that House. Like, Remus could let Abigail know, you could tell Detz…" the red head remarked, trying to sound offhand and casual. The Chaser raised an amused eyebrow.

"Sure—all right. It can go to the Lost and Found in the meantime." James answered.

"Oh. Well, yes. So… how is your friend, by the way?"

"My friend?"

"Yes—Detz." Lily stated.

He struggled to keep a passive expression on his face at her words. Where was this going?

"Cathy's great." James mentioned.

"Is she? That's good… you two seem to get along well," she told him.

"Yeah. She's easy to talk to. Though, I'm fairly certain she fancies me."

His admission notably bothered her although she knew he was right.

"Well she knows you're just friends, doesn't she? She doesn't think you… feel the same way, right?," Lily probed, looking at the other Gryffindor. He did not reply and she felt definite panic with his silence as she continued to peer at him, "James!"

The captain glanced at her, feeling the desire to smirk, but in the following moment he said:

"I don't know. What does it matter?"

"It matters a lot!—" the witch began.

"Cathy and I are friends at the moment… kind of like you and me. If that changes…" James interjected, shrugging.

Lily took her gaze away, trying very hard to suppress the large frown that was looming on her countenance. She suddenly felt terrible and uncomfortable. Her decision to bring up Cathy had backfired.

"D'you have more questions about my friendship with her?" the Head Boy asked. She gave a small shake of the head.

Lily's desire to speak vanished after this and the remainder of their rounds was marked with silence yet again. Just friends… it not mattering… a chance of that changing…. And what did he mean when he compared his relationship with Cathy to the one he had with Lily? This rattled the red head the most. Yes she was friends with James but they had snogged twice and there was all sorts of unresolved feelings between them; was it the same with Detz? Was he saying that he could see himself as Cathy's boyfriend? Did he also have a relationship fused with romance with her? And he had alluded to it changing… did he mean his friendship with Lily or Detz? She stewed silently in her thoughts as the pair roamed the castle and bitterly wished she could banish the Hufflepuff from Hogwarts. James, for his part, did not speak anymore either but he did wish her a good night when they had returned to the tower.

Lily nodded in response and watched him go to the opposite side of the room for his own staircase. She wanted to shout out why he should stop talking to Cathy and how she was not meant for him—none of the other girls were, actually—but she did not. Instead, she trudged miserably up the steps and considered obliviating herself and every pleasurable memory involving one certain Potter.

The Marauders were very energetic on Saturday, inwardly excited for their night as Animagi. They discussed Boderick's circumstances and pondered where he would be when the moon was in the sky, if it was on or around school grounds. Peter mentioned that, if he was, perhaps Moony could sniff him out, which seemed to intrigue Sirius. Lily chose to spend her day either in her room or the Gryffindor common room, to avoid Sean (he had approached her when breakfast finished) and possibly seeing the Head Boy spend time with Detz. Her glum mood appeared to have carried over from the previous night as she was not her usual, spirited self and James for one noticed her subdued demeanor. He, of course, did not discuss it with her and only hoped she was beginning to break.

At a quarter past eight James closed his Charms textbook and stopped pretending to do homework after having felt a prod in his left shoulder. It had come from either Peter or Sirius and both were hidden under the Cloak; they had disappeared upstairs minutes ago, with the latter claiming he was going to sleep early and the former giving no explanation. James had remained downstairs with Frank, Alice and Dorcas but now they were to head down to the Whomping Willow.

"Well, I'm going to the library!" he proclaimed, standing up. They all looked up at him.

"The where?" Dorcas wondered, making a face.

"The place with shelves of books, loads of chairs, and an old hag watching over it all!"

"On a Saturday night? _You_?" Frank pondered skeptically.

"Well… yes! I need more information on the… new charm we learned! And why not? Remus is gone, Sirius is asleep, and Peter, who knows; I may as well do work." James reported, starting to back away.

"We can play a game of Snap if you want, if you're that bored." Alice offered.

"Oh, that's all right! Maybe I'll take you up tomorrow."

"Well do you want company? I can go." Dorcas noted.

"No no—it's okay! I don't know how long I'll be," he relayed, wondering why they were so keen on keeping him entertained, "So I'll see you lot later!"

"What about your book?" Frank asked as the captain strode away swiftly.

"I'll take it up later!"

James wanted to escape the barrage of questions so much that he was not paying attention to his surroundings and missed the streak of fur fly between his legs at a rapid pace, causing him to trip with a surprised cry. His glasses hung halfway off his face and he was on all fours, looking stunned; he heard his invisible roommates snort with quiet laughter to his side somewhere.

"_What_—" the Chaser commenced, gazing around. He then saw Autumn walk up to him with appraising eyes and start to sniff him.

"It was you!" he stated. In the next instance the cat had been scooped up deftly and she let out a meow of surprise.

"I'm sorry, James! I was chasing her down the staircase and she must have gotten in your way!" a voice remarked, one that belonged to Lily. She was holding her pet and wore an expression of remorse. He stared at her for a moment and then realized he was still on the floor so hastily jumped to his feet.

"Not a problem," the Head Boy assured.

"Love the new look, Mr. Potter." Dorcas called from her seat. They both looked to their friends and at the sound of their light laughter James registered his glasses continued to hang from one ear.

He quickly righted them with a, now, slightly irritable expression and the red head watched, not knowing what to say. He gave her one last sharp look and exited the portrait hole without another word.

"Where's he going?" she felt compelled to ask, turning to the other seventh years. _Please not with Detz, please not with Detz!_

"He said the library, but who really believes that?" Frank answered, grinning.

* * *

The first full moon of the year went well for the band of Gryffindor boys. The werewolf had been enthusiastic to be back in his familiar environment and much of the night included playful wrestling and fighting (especially with the hyper dog). The animals ventured into the village but it was packed with visitors since it was a Saturday, so they had to keep the werewolf on the outskirts, which was something of a struggle: the liveliness of the people called to his inner predator. Most of the Marauders fell into their beds early Sunday morning and they slept until the afternoon. Frank had noticed that they slept in exceptionally late about once a month back in sixth year but had no theory for it, only that it mildly intrigued him. The trio missed lunch so traveled to the kitchens as an alternative; they ate among the chipper elves and then returned to the common room.

"There they _are_!" Marlene hailed. She was grouped with Mary, Alice and Frank.

"Rough night boys?" Mary asked.

"Yeah. Someone didn't return from the library." Alice pointed out, smiling at James.

"Sure I did. Just much after you lot had gone to bed," he lied.

"We stayed down here until midnight." Mary crisply stated.

"I… relocated to the Heads' room."

"And _you_ two weren't in the room when I got back." Frank mentioned, turning to the others.

"We went to visit James." Peter immediately answered.

"We didn't see you come down."

"We jumped out the damn window," Sirius interjected, "Look! What have we told you guys about questioning us? We use magic! We do our own thing! We're the craftiest blokes in this school! Analyzing our activities will only bring you misery." His best friend looked at him with amusement while their friends shook their heads, resigned to their curiosity.

"So where's Dorcas?" Peter wondered.

"And Lily," added Sirius.

"Dorcas is out flying with Alex and we haven't seen Lily since breakfast." Marlene reported. Peter made a shocked yet displeased face.

"Well it's nice to see you Ms. McKinnon!"

"How do you mean?"

"Sometimes it seems like I only see you in classes. You're always with Bowyer," notified Sirius, smirking a tad.

"Hmm. Well, we _are_ going out," she said, smiling vapidly. _Yeah, unfortunately_, he thought.

"We're going to the library soon—do you boys want to join us?" Alice posited.

"No, I was just there. And you're not taking Frank," James attested, grabbing his dorm mate and pulling him over, "He needs man time."

"Man time?" Mary repeated while her roommates laughed.

"Yes, he's coming with us!" Sirius affirmed, patting his back.

"Where are we going?" Frank asked, grinning.

"To walk the grounds! Maybe visit Hagrid." Peter remarked.

"Yes—good call Wormtail," the captain acknowledged.

"And what about all of our homework?" Alice pondered.

"We'll start it in the evening! See you girls later! Come on mates." The Head Boy led the four wizards away from their female counterparts and to the portrait hole to take their marauding outside.

Lily thought her own, personal common room was a God send. She could sneak away here if she wanted to be alone and did not have to resort to her dormitory (which was full of witches), the library (which was full of students), the Astronomy tower (which often housed kissing couples), or the owlery (which smelled like poop). She was supremely alone yet did have to worry about at least one person interrupting her solitude here: James. This was of significant concern to Lily at the moment because he was currently making her lose her mind; ever since Friday she could think of _nothing_ else but the Head Boy. He had been in her dreams and seeing him in Gryffindor tower made the problem even worse, which she did not think was possible. James had been absent at breakfast that morning, which had thrilled and crushed her, and when the red head had finished eating she promptly collected her school bag then went to the third floor. She had been there ever since.

Her mind's obsession with thinking about him had not ceased and it was now early evening. For the past hour she had been trying various charms to stop the James-centric thoughts but all to no avail. He was all she could see. Lily finally left the room when it was time for dinner and slowly walked through the hallways a bit dazedly, still brooding over the Head Boy and stroking her hair absentmindedly. Perhaps she should go to the Hospital Wing and ask the mediwitch for a powerful sleeping draught, or maybe even a new brain. Her friends would ask where she had been when they reunited in the Great Hall and she would tell the truth, but omit the fact that she had gotten minimal homework done. The Head Girl exhaled as she transitioned to the second floor and cast her eyes forward—what she saw further up the corridor caused her to halt suddenly and her heart to jump in her throat.

James and his Hufflepuff "friend" were numerous feet in front of her, facing partially away from Lily and wholly absorbed in one another from what it looked like. The pair was speaking very animatedly, both smiling, and stood in close proximity; he said something and Cathy reached out and shoved his forearm with a giggle. Lily watched them in shock, frozen in place, not sure what to do. She was close enough to retreat back up the staircase without being seen but should she? Or should she continue on her way and interrupt their banter? Witnessing Detz be this flirtatious with James certainly made her feel as heavy as lead while heat crept up her neck and her heart rate thumped in her ears.

Consequently, it was the sight of Cathy summoning his glasses to her with his own wand (that she had snatched) that made the Head Girl break. James reacted quickly as the grinning Hufflepuff attempted to escape—he lurched forward and grabbed her around her middle, pulling her back towards him. Detz let out a delighted shriek and Lily broke, blanching instantly. Without a second thought she whipped around and rushed back up the stairs, not bothering to take another glance at the pair she had been watching. The red head did not know where she was going but she suddenly felt nauseous, notably nauseous.

The seventh year lions noticed one of their troupe was missing at dinner, specifically the one with vivid green eyes. Dorcas observed that "Lily's acting dodgy again" and a few readily agreed to themselves, James being one of them. She did not surface when the meal was over either and remained absent into the night, but Remus returned to Hogwarts life around eight o'clock to the pleasure of his friends. (He greeted Mary kindly yet shyly and inquired if she would go over Friday's History of Magic notes with him; she consented with a warm smile, knowing he could have gotten them from Peter or Frank). Lily was not seen again until curfew started and she walked resolutely into her House's common room, a firm expression on her countenance. She was noticed immediately by her year, which was doing homework.

"Lily! Goodness!" hailed Marlene as they all stared at her.

"Gone for over 12 hours!" Alice commented.

"Did you learn the art of disappearing from us?" Sirius pondered with a playful smile. But Lily held up her hand before anyone could say anything more. She observed that the Quidditch captain was not with them.

"Hello Remus; welcome back," the Head Girl vocalized, glancing at him and Mary, "Is James not here?"

"Erm, he's upstairs, getting his Herbology book." Peter revealed.

"Thanks."

Lily then made a beeline for the boys' dormitories without another word, bypassing a startled third year on his way down, and eight heads watched her go. They looked at each other after a couple of moments.

"Head stuff?" Frank suggested. This seemed like a plausible explanation.

What the others did not realize, conversely, was that things were now painfully clear for the red head and she _had_ to talk to James. Things had only been blatantly obvious to the witch for the past few hours—since the second she saw the Head Boy hold Cathy Detz, in fact—but that did not matter. What mattered was that she _finally_ saw circumstances for what they were and she had to make a decision. And Lily was ready to do that. The picture of James with _Detz_ gave her all the conviction she had been lacking and she knew it would all come to some kind of resolution as she reached the seventh years' room. The door was open but only by a crack so she knocked softly out of courtesy instead of barging inside. She waited with baited breath.

"Yeah?" James called loudly. The witch did not know what sort of response he wanted or if it meant to enter but she took the initiative to push the door inside and walk carefully into the room.

James was standing near his four poster and had his back to her, moving items around on his bed spread. Lily watched him for a short period of time and then spoke.

"James," she stated.

He turned around rapidly at the sound of her voice, surprise sprawled all across his face. She was rooted near the entrance, gazing at him.

"Lily! What are you doing in here!" James replied, taking her appearance into account. He did not think she had ever been in his room while at school and he was correct. It was shocking.

She took awhile before answering, preparing her entire body for what she was about to do. He waited, still somewhat astonished.

"You told me to find you." Lily began gradually.

"What?" James uttered, starting to furrow his brow.

"You told me to come find you when I knew what I wanted… I know what I want."

It was quiet. They stared at each other. His chest had started to rise just a fragment higher but he was doing everything in his power to appear collected and not succumb to the frenzy into which his heart had been thrown. She was ready—ready to tell him yes or no, ready to stop running and make a choice regarding their confusing relationship. As James gazed at her standing in his room, wearing a thin black and white sweater, jeans, and white tennis shoes, he hoped with every single particle in his body it would be the answer of which he had dreamt.

"And?," the captain prompted in a mildly hoarse voice, licking his suddenly dry lips, "What do you want, Lily?"

For the first time since entering the vicinity the witch looked away. Everything hinged on this moment and she knew it. She took a final chance to bury her fears, doubts, questions and old memories regarding James Potter, and when she peered up once more her eyes were wet.

"I want us too," Lily attested, her voice cracking a bit, "I want us. I-I want a real relationship! I want to be the one at your side in the corridors, not other girls! I want _you_, James! I never thought I'd say that and it's still a bit scary—everything I'm feeling!—but it's true. I want you."

James stared at her without making a sound, thoughts and emotions racing impossibly fast through his brain. Before he dared to let himself believe her magnificent words he had to be sure—sure she meant them and sure he was not imagining it all.

"Why?" he questioned.

"Oh I don't know—one hundred reasons why! But largely because you're amazing." Lily relayed, eyes still glistening with tears.

The flood gates burst open and he was at least free from being held back. James did not know how they had closed the distance between them or who had moved first, or which wand used magic to close the door, but he did not care. He was gripping every bit of Lily he could get his hands on as their lips met in a needy, super charged torrent for a third time, only this time it held poignant relief and victory as well. He was clutching her clothing forcefully like he had done on the train while their mouths worked ferociously against one another and she was clasping the back of his neck and head, in partial, delirious disbelief this was happening. James knew their bodies could not get any closer on an intellectual level but that did not stop him from trying; with the way he currently felt he did not ever want them to separate. When Lily's arms curled around his neck tightly and her tongue met his with a significant inhale, he forced himself with tremendous effort to pull away in order to say something.

"Thank _Merlin_ you came to your senses—I didn't know how much longer I could've held out," the captain breathed, eyes shut as he took a pause to find some air.

"So you knew I would, did you?" she asked, a wide, joyful smile creeping onto her face. Her eyes were also closed.

" 'Course."

"And if I hadn't?"

One hazel eye peeked open to peep at the red head. Her face was assaulted with heat and two visible tear tracks shown on her cheeks. She was smiling and looked radiant.

"I was thinking I would've kept you hostage in a room somewhere, subjecting you to vicious snogs until you gave in." James said, running a hand through her hair.

"That sounds a lot like what's happening at the moment." Lily responded, the overwhelming happiness still ravaging her system. (Both had their eyes open again).

He grinned, studying her countenance intently, and she peered back, enjoying his just as much. This boy… this boy had made an imprint in her life since day one as a Hogwarts student, and here she stood, six years later, fully enveloped in his arms and feeling utterly terrific, as though it had meant to be like this all along. The witch shifted forward and placed a softer yet lasting kiss on his mouth, moving her lips tenderly against his; he yielded and got lost in the sensation, fingers back in her hair.

"Lily," James commenced quietly after they pulled away, "Tell me you fancy me."

The red head smiled at his request. He had finally gotten the _one_ girl he had desired for multiple years—his brain was probably in shock trying to process this information.

"I fancy you, James," she claimed gently, putting her left hand in his. His heart stopped momentarily.

"Tell me you want us to be together." His voice had a slight pleading tone.

"I want us to be together."

She whispered this, then reached up and kissed his right cheek. Hearing that declaration made James feel the most emotion he ever had since the whole ordeal with Lily had begun. She wanted him. He had no more requests and resumed their kissing immediately, a fierce passion punctuating each kiss as he pulled her hips directly against his own. The Head Girl sighed contently and started to lose herself in the blissful experience.

* * *

The new couple snogged shamelessly for the next 20 minutes without much verbal interruption. A thirty minute conversation on James' bed followed (this is where their make out session had relocated), focusing on Lily's feelings and why she had been so hesitant and unsure, and she found that admitting things to him made her feel notably good. They talked about the prospects of their relationship: what they wanted, what they expected and what they feared. Both seemed to be inwardly giddy, however, and James kept telling her to say "I am James Potter's girlfriend" throughout their discussion. After the fifth demand she grabbed one of his pillows and started pummeling him with it, which only caused the captain to fight back with equal force (although two pillows was not very equal). This playful sparring did not last too long, and before either knew what had happened they were snogging heatedly once more, pillows forgotten on the side and hands all over the other person.

Lily re-emerged down in the common room fifteen minutes later without James at her side. She was perfectly aware she had been in the boys' dormitory for about an hour and _knew_ more than one person would have a particular theory for what she had been doing up there for so long, especially the seventh year boys. As such, she tried her best to appear calm, unassuming and nonchalant as she came down the stairs and moved toward her year, hands behind her back. The witches were all gone but the wizards remained, and they stared at her as she walked past.

"Night boys! See you tomorrow," she bid casually, rather unaware that her face was completely flushed and her hair clearly mused.

The four did not reply but continued to watch her, and when Lily was ascending the girls' staircase they jumped up rapidly with their belongings and broke into a run for their own staircase, vying to get to the room. They were going to make James spill his soul.

Lily was nearly bubbling with mirth when she reached her bedroom and could feel the grin on her face that she had been repressing since leaving her boyfriend's quarters. _Boyfriend._ She had a boyfriend, and it was James Potter. A thrilled squeak was threatening to escape her throat so she wrenched the door open and rushed inside. The other girls all gazed at the new arrival and noticed that her smile went from ear to ear, as well as the fact that her face was doused in color. The Head Girl kind of looked like she had just flown on a magic carpet and loved every minute of it. She took a deep breath before speaking, wanting to be the first one to say something.

"So," Lily commenced in a would be even tone, "Do you think it's a conflict of interest for the Head Girl and Boy to go out?"

Shock, puzzlement or incredulity seeped into her roommates' countenances at this inquiry and they continued to gawk at their friend.

"Lily, what do you mean by that?" Alice asked slowly, rising from her bed.

"I just want to know! I mean, I'd hate for my Head duties to be affected or jeopardized by something I can't help, you know? Like the fact that I'm Muggleborn… or that I was upstairs for an hour kissing James Potter and agreeing to be his girlfriend," she explained, shrugging.

Four mouths dropped open and Dorcas' quill fell out of her hand. Mary and Marlene had hopped up alongside Alice and Lily could only grin wider as she stared in return and nodded.

"Is that a problem?" the red head questioned in a supple voice.

Autumn tensed then sprinted under Marlene's bed for safety from the sheer amount of noise that erupted, while Sasha squealed in excitement and rolled around. Mary, Alice and Marlene pounced on Lily with hugs, screams, smiles and joy, and she giggled intensely in response, reddening even further and returning hugs. She had never felt this girly in her life but she did not care—she had also not felt this good in an extremely long time.

"Unbelievable! You and Potter! I _told_ you!" Mary vocalized, gripping her hand.

"I knew it wouldn't take long! You're crazy about him! Oh Lily! It's _perfect_!" gushed Marlene, bobbing from happiness.

"James must be on another _planet _right now! You two are going to be amazing together, you are! He always knew!" Alice stated, grinning.

"I can't even describe how I feel, how he makes me feel! It's mental! But I'm so excited and nervous and still in shock, and!—" Lily remarked, peering around at the trio cheerfully.

"You are going to have quite a few witches wanting your head, they'll be so jealous!" Mary mentioned.

"Oooh, tell us everything! Go on! From start to finish!" Marlene instructed as they backed away to get more comfortable and hear her story.

* * *

A/N: So this chapter is a bit shorter than the others but I figured you wouldn't mind so much because _it_ finally happened :)

Well, they're together readers! At long last! Forty-six chapters into _Who's To Say_ and Lily and James are finally together! Rejoice! You don't have to be annoyed with me any longer!

On the flip side, I have something to mention. As I alluded to in the first author's note, school is really crazy for me right now. I have about 4 weeks left for the fall semester so that means lots and lots of work to complete; papers and projects are all due around the same time. In order to get it done and not be a failure, I'm going to have to focus on it and try not to procrastinate, which is a challenge for me because I'm so good at it. As such, I'm going to have to take a break from this fic—I won't post chapter 47 until the middle of December. However, after this semester is over I'll go back to posting twice a month like usual. With school it just seems like the end is always the hardest. Sigh.

So hopefully this chapter can hold you over for 4 weeks and I'll be back next month, dear readers!


	47. Marmalade

A/N: So it's been over half a year since I've updated this little story of mine. Wow. Is there anyone out there anymore? The absence has me feeling odd.… I won't offer a long explanation for this extensive gap in posting, yet I can say that when life happens, it happens, and you can't ignore it. I have had _so_ much happen to me since November (the last update), both good and bad. However, never once did I think of abandoning this fic. I knew I couldn't get to it at the time, but I never wanted to give it up.

But here I am, back at it! I had to reread many chapters just to reacquaint myself and recall where I plan for the story to go, ha ha. You may have to click back to chapter 46, too, to see where I left off! Regardless, let's move forward. Yay!

* * *

**Who's To Say?**

**Chapter 47 **

And so the Head Girl did. She began with rounds on Friday and how the conversation with James had greatly unsettled her, then progressed to earlier that day when she had locked herself away and seen Detz with the Head Boy. Lily then told them about what had just transpired and what that had been like.

"So seeing him with Cathy is what did it." Alice noted, a phantom smile on her lips.

"It pushed me over the edge, yes. It was just seeing James physically _touch _her, hold her—even if it was playful! It made my skin crawl… I wanted to both hit Detz and fall to the floor and start crying. I hated it! And I recognized I shouldn't feel that way about her because she's never done a thing to me and I don't even know her, but I did! Then I thought I never wanted to see him touch another girl as long as I live, and seconds later it all registered that I fancied him… and fancied him horribly," Lily relayed, seated on her bed, "So, I knew I had to go to him."

"The woman has finally seen the light, on her own time! Never mind what her friends were telling her!" Mary quipped, situated on Alice's bed with the owner. Dorcas looked at her with a stony expression. She was the only one on the carpet and had not uttered one word since Lily had returned, although she listened attentively.

"You were all right, yes yes! And thank Merlin I didn't wait any longer, like you mentioned Alice!"

The Waite girl smiled.

"How _does_ he make you feel, Lily?" Marlene wondered in a dreamy voice, hugging her knees. The red head took a moment to consider.

"He makes me feel… everything!," she informed, "It's probably similar to you and Bruce, Frank and Remus, but with James… blimey, I don't even know where to begin! He's hilarious and intelligent and caring and a great friend, and he's always been those things but I finally saw for myself months ago. And he really has changed from when we were younger without losing his brilliant qualities. I just feel like I'm the only one on Earth with him when he talks to me, and I _love_ when he smiles. He has only one dimple—it's in his left cheek, have you noticed? Talking to James is easier than breathing and he really seems to care about what I have to say. I'm happy when I know I'm going to see him and I don't like being away from him for too long, not to mention the fact that 80 percent of my thoughts involve him! When he looks at me it's like I've got ten thousand butterflies attacking my stomach, and I don't know when all of this happened, but, it did."

Three of the four dorm mates were studying Lily with delighted glints in their eyes as she finished answering, and then Mary had a second question.

"What's it like kissing him?" She was perched on her knees and smirking, but she appeared eager to hear the reply. Alice and Marlene giggled once.

"Dear God," Lily groaned, falling onto her back, "It's like there's no gravity and lightening is in every cell of my body! My mind is nothing but jelly and his fingers just… make me shudder! He _would_ have to be a mind blowing snog! Ugh. I had one other boyfriend and two other boys I've snogged, and I don't think I'd be very cut up if James is the last person I get to kiss."

The two purebloods were giggling zealously.

"And to think, he's the one who kept your numbers from being higher! All those wizards James ran off!" mentioned Alice.

"I never will completely forgive him for that!" the red head smiled.

"He got you in the end anyway." Marlene said chirpily.

"Yes—now hopefully he can keep her!" Mary replied.

"Oh, I'm _sure_ he has every intention to!" Alice grinned.

Dorcas rose to her feet quietly and made to gather her things for sleep while her friends started discussing how the student population would react to the newest Gryffindor couple. She walked into the bathroom and threw another grave glance at the other girls as she closed the door in her wake.

…

_James would remember the day he discovered that Lily Evans was something special until his last dying breath—something meant for him. It had rained unexpectedly that Thursday during their Care of Magical Creatures class and the third years had been allowed to quit early and run back to the castle to avoid the strong torrent. By their next class, Transfiguration, they had warmed up and dried off for the most part, but there was still some evidence of the sudden weather. James sat next to Sirius, Remus and Peter occupying the desk to their right, and Sirius was subconsciously watching a group of young witches as he removed his book from his bag. It was the Gryffindor girls in fact and Evans had her wand out, pointing it at Dorcas and assuring her "it'll work". A moment later the Meadowes girl's short hair style had poofed up into a large, dark brown fuzz ball and Lily's mouth fell open. Alice Waite and Mary Macdonald, the students to their left, burst out laughing immediately. Sirius chortled to himself; apparently Heating Charms did not work on hair._

"_Suits Dorcas, don't you think?" he joked, nudging his best friend and nodding at the girls. But James was already gazing at them too, yet his expression was strange and focused as he toyed with his quill._

"_Hey…," the Chaser prompted, continuing to stare, "What do you think of Evans?"_

"_Evans?," Sirius repeated, confused. He glanced at the red head (whom was apologizing and giggling), "I don't know."_

"_Tell me something—be honest." James remarked, turning to his partner._

"_Er! Well… she's all right! She laughs all the time with her friends, she's smart… though, she doesn't seem to be keen on us. She's never impressed with our pranks."_

"_Yeah…. But she _is_ smart, huh? And I like the way she laughs."_

"_You like the way she _laughs_?" Sirius pondered, raising an eyebrow._

"_Well, yeah—it sounds nice! And it shows her smile, which is pretty." James observed. His friend stared._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_I've just noticed that Evans is different, is all! She doesn't act like a lot of the other girls, or even look like 'em. Her red hair and green eyes… she's got nice eyes, too. Really nice."_

"_When did you notice all of this?" Sirius asked, looking at James as if he was burping up slugs. The Chaser was studying Lily again but with a goofy expression this time._

"_I don't know, but it all hit me today, looking at her right now. She's pretty wicked…" he stated, his face in his hands._

"_Jamesy, you sound like you _fancy_ her!"_

_Sirius was grinning now. James turned back towards him, his hands falling to the desk's surface, and he analyzed the other's statement. A moment later a twin grin was forming on his lips._

"_Maybe I do!" James declared._

_He took a few more moments to consider his best friend's words, the grin still on his face as he stared at Lily, and his countenance brightened even more as he opened his mouth to speak._

"_Hey Evans!" he called. The young witch and her roommates peered at him. (Dorcas' hair was normal once more)._

"_Yeah?" she answered a bit cautiously. Sirius was smiling widely at the exchange._

"_All right?"_

_"Erm… sure."_

"_Good!" James stated, hand shooting to his head in order to ruffle his slightly damp hair. Lily gave him a very strange look then turned away right as the bell rang, and James knew, as Professor McGonagall swiftly closed the door, that Lily Evans _was_ different. And he liked different._

…

_Lily hated when the hallways were rowdy like this. Kids running, shoving, laughing too loudly, tripping one another, parchment magicked into flying airplanes—it was a prefect's headache. What was more, she was a new prefect; she had only had her position for about four weeks in school, and who listened to fifth year prefects when it came down to it? However, the Muggleborn was not one to be run over or unheard, and after just leaving an irritating Potions lesson (during which James Potter had felt the need to pay her undivided attention), she was feeling particularly short tempered._

"That _is a banned magical item and you know it!," Lily snapped, marching up to a pair of Hufflepuff boys, "Give it here."_

_She held out her hand and the one who had tried to craftily slip the Zonko's product to his friend clicked his tongue in disappointment, placing it in her palm. The badgers shook their heads._

"_Thank you. And _you_! Stop directing parchment at people's heads or I'll give you a detention!" she threatened a Ravenclaw, glowering at him. His smile left his face as she jumped up to snatch an airplane from the air._

"_Everyone needs to get to their next class!" she instructed, the paper scrunched in his fist while others began to grumble in dissatisfaction._

"_Evans, Evans! No one likes a dictator!" Sirius supplied, walking up to her and putting an arm around her shoulders with a sly smile._

"_I am a prefect, not a dictator." Lily replied, instantly throwing off his arm and cringing internally when she saw he was, of course, accompanied by Potter and Pettigrew._

"_I don't see the difference."_

"_Nice, Black. Do you make fun of Remus as well?"_

" '_Course not. He'll be able to keep us out of trouble this year, won't he!" Sirius said._

"_Where is he? The corridors are mad at the moment—he could be helping me," the witch remarked somewhat tersely, looking around._

"_He had to stay behind with Sluggy about his assignment. For some reason Potions is just not his forte!" James informed, shrugging while grinning. Lily gave him a scathing expression and then moved forward to take her leave of them._

"_Whoa, Evans! Did I say something?" he questioned, following her footsteps quickly._

"_No, I just think I had my fill of you in class, Potter, thanks," she revealed in a strained voice._

"_What? Impossible! No one can get enough of the spectacular Mr. Potter!" Sirius insisted. Peter laughed and the Chaser looked at him with a half grin._

"_Well I must be an enigma, then, because I most surely can!"_

_The red head moved away with purpose for the second time and James was swift to hurry after her again, yet this time he grabbed her right hand when he caught her. She reeled around to face him the second she felt the touch of his hand, outraged and stunned. The audacity! This was the second time in their history that he had touched her abruptly and without consent; the first time had been during the previous school year, fourth, and it had not been welcomed then either._

"_You!—" Lily heatedly started, glaring something awful._

"_It won't always be like this, Evans," James assured quietly, sounding both playful and sad while he looked into her eyes, "One day… one day you'll warm up to me. Then it's only a matter of time before we're together and you can't stand to be without me."_

_She had initially been staring in return without putting up a fight, something she could not fully explain, but the instant his last sentence reached her ears the witch wrenched her hand from his grip with disgust and pulled away. The absolute _nerve_ of this boy! He never quit! As if Lily would ever consider such an atrocity!_

"_You keep telling yourself that!" the red head hissed, green eyes flashing before stalked off._

_The Potter boy watched her go with the same mixture of sadness and teasing before turning around to his best friends._

"_You've got your hands full with that one." Sirius alerted, smirking._

…

Lily awoke on Monday morning feeling just as exhilarated as when she had gone to sleep the previous night. In fact, she may have felt even more excitement than the preceding day because this was the start of her new relationship with James as his girlfriend. Girlfriend, boyfriend… her boyfriend was James Potter. The fact made her skin tingle and a smile bloom on her face every time it went through her mind, and she repeated it to herself as she got ready that morning in order to get used to the idea, but the tingling and smile did not go away. Dorcas appeared to be sleeping in, for her drapes were drawn and she was not up with the other girls, yet Alice, Mary and Marlene seemed to all share the same happiness as Lily because they greeted her with grins and merry hellos. Alice told Dorcas when they were about to head down for breakfast but they received no answer of any kind, so the four proceeded without their fifth dorm mate.

The Head Girl had never been nervous to go eat a meal before but found this was the case as the witches walked to the Great Hall. They had not run into the seventh year wizards in the common room so assumed the boys had already left or were running behind, and arriving to the dining hall and not seeing their forms at the Gryffindor table let them know it was the latter. Lily felt antsy as she sat and found her gaze constantly flickered to the entrance. How would James act now? How would _she_ act? Was it going to be immediately noticeable to other students? Was he going to jump onto the table and announce to everyone that his long time crush had agreed to go out with him after years of tribulation? Well, of course he wouldn't go that far… or would he? He had done equally and even more impetuous things during his time at Hogwarts…

When the Marauders and Franked waltzed into the Great Hall minutes after the girls did, laughing, the red head's heart beat out of control. Her attention was only on one person, and he had that crooked grin of his on his face, his school bag hanging oh-so-blasé on his shoulder, and his hair sticking up in the back as was customary. He looked so very James and Lily loved it. She registered that her friends were giggling in low voices as their male counterparts reached them.

"Morning ladies!" Frank hailed, sitting next to Alice. She pecked his cheek.

"Fabulous day it's going to be, I reckon." Sirius stated, grinning and peering at the Head Girl.

"Oh?" Mary prompted, a small smile on her lips.

"Definitely." Peter added cheerfully.

"What do you think, James?" Marlene questioned, smiling.

"I'd say so," he replied, taking his time to walk around where Lily was. He dropped his bag and settled in next to her, and when that was taken care of, he turned and stared at her, "Hello." His grin was back in place and his voice had deepened a bit, and Lily could feel the heat rush to her face.

" 'Lo," she responded sweetly, smiling softly, studying his face.

"Sleep well?"

"Extremely."

James took her left hand in his right under the table and when the two looked up from their small exchange it was only to see their seven friends watching them with sappy grins.

"Er, need help?" he posited, failing to hold back his grin.

"I never thought I'd live to see this day! My Jamesy got his Lily!," Sirius exclaimed, "Moony, hold me!" He threw himself dramatically onto Remus, who chuckled.

"There there, Sirius. We're all emotional about it!" the prefect supplemented.

"You two, together, as a couple, are…" Alice began, beaming. But she did not finish; instead, she made a thrilled peeping noise and closed her mouth.

"I think she means it's brilliant!" laughed Frank, patting her back.

Lily looked down, blushing profusely, while James' smile grew and he stroked her fingers with his own.

"It really is!" Marlene vowed.

"She's lucky I waited for her!" the captain alerted. His girlfriend gave an affronted gasp and then smacked his forehead with her free hand, while the others laughed.

"Yeah right, Prongs! You would've waited 'til you were 98 years old if you knew she'd say yes!" Peter pointed out.

"If it's consolation, Potter, she was doing bitter battle with herself by coming to terms with her feelings." Mary mentioned.

"Yes, and for many weeks," smiled Marlene.

"Okay, enough talking ladies!" Lily interjected.

"Well, that does make me feel a helluva lot better," James remarked, peering impishly at her once more, "I've been told I have that affect on people!"

"I thought your ego problem had been solved."

"Never, Lily!" Remus commented.

A little over ten minutes later Peter asked where Dorcas was when she still had not surfaced in the room, and Alice reported she was likely oversleeping.

"I hope she doesn't miss the first lesson," he vocalized.

"Wouldn't be the end of Hogwarts if she did." James said.

"Of course you would say that." Lily responded, biting her piece of toast. The Head Boy looked at her.

"Hey, you've got something."

"What?"

"On your face. I think it's marmalade," he stated, looking her over.

"I don't feel—" she started.

"Here, I'll get it."

Lily was then ambushed with an attack kiss, catching her fully off guard. James had launched forward and pressed his mouth steadfastly against hers, a smirk lurking behind his lips, and a hand on her back. She responded to him after the surprise had passed, excited to feel this sensation again for the new day, but her indulgence was short lived. She remembered where they were and the fact that practically no one knew about their fresh, romantic relationship. The Head Girl pulled away but the effect had already begun; his roommates were whistling and hooting happily, and a good portion of the Gryffindor table was gaping at the pair.

"James!" she near hissed, not daring to look around.

"What? Nothing was there, after all," he shrugged, smiling. Her friends were giggling once again.

"Um, excuse me," someone prompted to their right. They all turned and saw a group of fifth years (not including Kirby and Kara).

"Yeah?" James replied.

"Are you two, Evans and Potter, going out, or?..." a boy questioned. It was silent for a pause and then the Head Boy looked at his partner.

"Well, Lily—are we?"

The witch gazed at him, mouth slightly ajar. He was not answering the question—he was putting all the weight on her. Lily knew why he had done this, why he was testing her. James needed to see what they meant to her, if she was going to stand behind them, and if she had truly meant everything she had said to him the night before. Was she ready for them to be known to everyone?

Lily turned to the fifth years.

"I should believe so, yes," she affirmed. She felt an arm wrap slowly around her waist in appreciation as their mouths fell open. The other seventh years were grinning.

"Are you _really_?" a witch wondered.

"Yes. I know it's not _that_ impossible to believe!" James vocalized.

"Practically." Sirius attested.

"I heard that, Black."

"Well, okay! Thank you!" another fifteen year old piped. They flashed quick smiles then immediately formed a huddle, recruiting other nearby lions to join.

"I bet the entire school knows by lunch." Frank postulated.

"Wanna put gold on that?" Sirius pondered, perking up.

"I wouldn't do it, Frank." Peter muttered.

"Padfoot! No gambling in the Great Hall!" Remus relayed sharply.

"Stop encroaching on my opportunity for money, Lupin!" Sirius retorted.

The two Heads attempted to keep up a normal semblance throughout their morning classes but it was not very easy. Apart from the fact that their dorm mates would not stop giving them nudges and smiles, they found it was arduous to pay attention to the lecturing professors when their minds were focused solely on each other. What was more, many of their classmates were paying them covert attention as well since the news from breakfast had already begun to spread. Lily and James sat together for one class yet it was enough to garner more stares in their direction than the teachers'; by lunch, the notice the two Gryffindors received had surmounted significantly. Murmurings among groups of students were heard and gazes were directed at the lions' table, yet no one (apart from more Gryffindors) approached the couple about its status. This all changed toward the end of the meal when Cathy walked up to James and requested to speak to him near the High Table, a perplexed look on her face.

He consented, after giving Lily's hand a brief squeeze under the table, then got up and followed her away from the Gryffindors. The red head watched him go while her friends muttered words in her favor. Dorcas, from her spot next to a few of her Quidditch teammates, also watched James and the Hufflepuff.

"Well she'll be in for a surprise!" Mary commented.

"Should we jinx her, Lily?" Peter offered, smiling.

"Be kind! I doubt she'll be excited about all of this," the Head Girl answered.

"Ooh, listen to this one! Just last week you were out for Detz's blood!" Alice pointed out. The seventh years laughed as Lily smiled from embarrassment.

"All right Cathy?" grinned James when the pair chose a spot.

"Confused, actually," she started, her brow furrowed, "People are saying that you and Lily Evans are… together." His grin grew.

"They are? Already?"

"I heard it after the second lesson. I thought it was a joke but more than one person was talking about it! Is it true, James? You two?"

There was momentary silence.

"Seems mental, huh? _I_ still can't believe it's real," he confirmed. Astonishment overtook her countenance.

"But, how—_when_? She's said she'd never go out with you!," Cathy attested, "That's why half the kids don't believe it."

"We both changed a lot last year, finally made peace. I'm just lucky enough that she saw in me what I've seen in her for years… she's brilliant."

The Hufflepuff stared at him with her brow still creased. He gazed back, happy, but a bit sorry for how she would take it. The captain had never led her on, however, or given her a promise of a romantic future; he had merely been receptive to a witch with interest. They had never done anything beyond flirting.

"Well, that's… good for you, James. You've had your eye on her for ages… I hope she's happy too," she alerted, knowing it was over and shrugging in sad defeat.

"Thanks Cathy," James began, realizing he wanted to say something to console her. He knew all too well the crushing weight of unrequited feelings, "I hope she's happy too. But I don't want you to be unhappy, either." The witch looked up at him.

"I'm sorry if this hurts you in any way. I've had a fantastic time getting to know you—you're wicked. And I know you'll have no trouble getting a bloke who deserves you," the captain said.

Cathy smiled, although it reflected some of the disappointment and sadness she was experiencing. She should have known it was not going to be easy falling for this particular wizard. The Hufflepuff exhaled audibly then quickly wrapped her arms around the Head Boy for a hug. He returned it.

"I expect you to hold onto this witch," she noted.

"With an iron grip." James responded.

She then took her leave and waved at him, going back in the direction of her House's table. When James returned to his, his best friend asked:

"So what'd you tell her?"

"We're getting married. Everyone mark the date for the third weekend of December," he replied, looking around. He was met with laughs and snorts, and an amused, slighted look from Lily that he tried to remedy by grabbing her in an affectionate embrace. The gesture, conversely, failed.

The stares and whispers continued after lunch into the latter day classes, only gaining more momentum, and by the time it was dinner it seemed as though every student in the castle had been in a conversation about the school's Heads. Sirius remarked that the whole school now knew about Lily and James as everyone ate for the final time of the day, and the red head, for her part, felt off put by the amount of attention they were receiving. It was rather like they were on display in a museum, but James was not showing any signs of being phased or affected by it. Then again, she had to remind herself that this was a boy who had thrived on and craved attention for years. He was accustomed to it.

An additional, unusual aspect about dinner was that Dorcas was not seated with her year. She sat with Rodrigo, Elizabeth and Chris Spooner, just like she had at lunch. When Marlene and Mary called her over to join the rest of the seventh years she declined, stating she was "fine" where she was. Dorcas' roommates did not know what to make of this and peered at one another with mild concern yet uttered nothing. It would not have left them to wonder had she spoken to them throughout the day, but the Chaser had not. In fact, she had been secluded since the previous night…

The year's first Slug Club meeting was at 8:30 that night, and Gryffindor's members walked to the dungeons together as was normal. James had wanted to be alone with Lily for at least 15 minutes before the meet time but there had been no chance for it. It appeared the common room's inhabitants had wanted to continue their admiration of the new couple, and their direct friends would not leave them alone, persevering in goggling at and encouraging the pair.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Jessica Langston questioned as they neared the dungeons. The wizard in question was flickering and wriggling his right hand, wand in tow.

"Practicing non-verbal spells. I am not ready to hear the rubbish that's going to spill from the Slytherins' mouths tonight," he explained. The fifth year smiled as James groaned out loud in agreement, throwing his head back dramatically.

"I can hardly wait," he grumbled.

"Maybe Slughorn will speak so much no one will have a chance to say anything." Lily proposed. She was holding hands with James.

"You mean like always?" the captain smirked.

"Yeah, but he'll likely rave about you two at some point. 'The Head Boy and Girl, both in my club! How marvelous!'." Sirius predicted.

"Shit."

"James!" the red head reproached, tugging on his hand as his roommate laughed.

As it was, Sirius was right. The meeting had hardly commenced and the Potions master energetically welcomed them back to the Slug Club before his attention turned to Lily and James.

"And Mr. Potter and Ms. _Evans_! You two!" Slughorn boomed, peering at them with a bright grin. Every head turned to stare at the pair while it froze, and Sirius struggled to suppress a smirk. He was seated on his best friend's left while Lily sat on James' right.

"I am simply tickled to the core to have _both_ Heads as members of my club!," the professor went on. Sirius tried to pass his snort off as a cough, "And you will forgive me—I know I praised you in class when the term first began, but not everyone here was present! And it is such an outstanding accomplishment! Please, do tell us how you feel about it? Elated, I am sure! Lily?"

The surprise quickly crossed over her features before she spoke. After a glance at her partner, she commented:

"Erm, well, I was really honored to have been chosen as Head Girl. I wanted the position, as do most prefects, and… I think it'll be a good year. I'm going to do my best."

"You'll be smashing, m'dear!," Slughorn assured confidently. Rosier made a noise of dissent, "And you, James?"

He looked around the room then conspicuously ruffled the back of his hair, a grin emerging on his lips.

"Let's be honest—everyone thought 'what the hell is Hogwarts playing at?' when I got the Head Boy badge, including me," the Chaser began. Most of the members laughed, "But I was told they trusted me and I'd do well, so I plan to do just that. I also have a great partner for the year."

James was smiling tenderly at Lily. His remark had pleased her and caused a wave of warmth to wash over her, so she smiled in return. Miniscule things like that made her content with her decision to say yes and encouraged her notion that they could truly be something. There were twitterings from the other students from this small exchange and Sirius did not bother to hide his amusement this time.

"Yes, I think you two will be a charismatic pair," Slughorn offered, smiling knowingly, "I have but one more query for you. There have been rumblings in the school about you both, together, as a couple. Romance! Is there any truth to this rumor?"

Gasps and giggles escaped from mouths. A shocked yet comical expression passed over James' face while Lily felt a low degree of mortification, her face reddening. This was a teacher asking this! It was one thing to have their peers probe about this topic but a professor? Had he heard about it in passing earlier during the day or had he asked students specifics when he learned it involved Lily and James? The red head could feel the entire room salivating for an answer but she was speechless. James would have to combat this discomfort. Would he indulge Slughorn? It, truthfully, was none of his business!

"Keeping mum, are we?" the professor postulated after neither had answered and the side chatter grew. Snape was staring directly at Lily and no one else. He typically avoided looking in her direction during classes or these meetings, but not at the moment; with what he had heard throughout the day courtesy of gossip, he no longer cared.

"Actually, if you must know, James is going out with Lily's cat, not Lily. There was a lot of confusion and misunderstanding at breakfast and we didn't bother to clear it up." Sirius quipped, arms folded and smiling at the couple.

"For obvious reasons," the Head Boy added, giving his partner in crime a quick wink of gratitude.

Laughter reverberated off the walls, including Slughorn's, and the Head Girl felt instant relief, knowing the topic of discussion would likely change. Thank goodness for her boyfriend's infamous best friend!

During the hour it was revealed that, because of the planned Halloween ball, the Potions master would not be hosting his own party, although the Christmas soiree would still take place. He then spoke about some of his best spent holidays for the hour, all of which included prestigious wizards whom often "paid for everything". The students left at 9:30 precisely and dispersed to their respective dormitories. As the lions walked the path to their tower, Lily thanked Sirius for his intervention regarding Slughorn's question and avoiding an awkward situation.

"Do you want to go to the Head Room? Do homework for an hour or two?" James questioned as they entered the common room, sporting a half smile. Jessica found her fifth year friends while Sirius exuberantly merged with the seventh years by the barren hearth.

"That's your suggestion?" Lily replied, sporting a tiny smile.

"Yeah."

"You don't want to do it in here?"

"Nah," the captain stated.

"Shall we invite the others?" she wondered.

"Definitely not."

James was grinning fully now and he knew that she knew his true intentions. They had not gotten alone time all day and he was craving it.

"Well, as we'll be doing homework, I'll need my notes and books. You should get yours too," the witch said, smiling coyly.

"Yes ma'am."

"Do you two plan to stand over there talking privately to each other all night, or do we matter?" Peter called over to the pair. They looked over.

"They're newly in love! Let them be." Marlene answered, smiling.

"I don't know about the new part, eh James?" grinned James.

"I think your brief time alone has been ruined." Remus noted humorously.

"Yeah, Pettigrew!" Sirius exclaimed, slapping his arm.

"Ow! What!" he half shouted.

"Oh, yes! Lily—Dorcas is in the room. She wants a word with you." Mary reported. The Head Girl nodded, turning back to the captain.

"I'll go talk to her, get my bag, then come back down," she mentioned.

"Don't take ages. I've waited all day." James advised in a low voice.

"For homework?" Lily laughed, beginning to back away. He simply winked at her then went to join the others.

Autumn greeted her master with purrs and small meows when the door to the seventh year girls' room opened from the outside. Lily answered with coos of admiration and bent down to scratch behind her ears.

"Dorcas," she began, taking in the dormitory from her spot near the floor. She saw the petite girl sitting on the edge of her bed, gazing at something, clad in jeans and a brown peasant top, "There you are!"

The Muggleborn walked inside and shut the door, not registering that Autumn had craftily snuck away unnoticed. She was happy to see Dorcas—she had been rather distant from them for about a day, and perhaps would explain why. It was unusual for Dorcas to be moody and withdrawn.

"You're all right? It seems like you've been on a holiday from us!" Lily commented, standing at the foot of the Chaser's bed and leaning against a post.

"How have you possibly noticed?" Dorcas asked in an even voice, looking at her with an unidentifiable expression.

"What d'you mean? Of course I noticed!"

"Oh. Just thought with the whole school completely in awe of you and your… boyfriend, it might've gone over your head."

"_That_ has been something else!" Lily said, scoffing yet smiling somewhat, "I know James must be used to it but I'm not."

Dorcas did not say anything. Instead, she was looking down once more and fingering invisible patterns on her bedspread. The mellow appearance did not leave her face and Lily felt some of her happiness slip away, to be replaced by worry.

"The girls said you wanted to talk to me… are you okay, Dorcas?" the Head Girl inquired after considerable silence. The questioned seemed to trigger something within Dorcas because her demeanor changed rapidly.

"You know, I really can't say that I am," the Chaser stated, studying her with a look of anger and despair.

"Well, what—"

"When?"

"When?... when what?" Lily replied, taken aback by the demand. What was happening here?

"When did you suddenly decide you liked James Potter and he was good enough to date?" Dorcas supplied, now full of life.

* * *

A/N: So I'll post the next chapter in 2 or 3 weeks, but surely no more than 3 weeks. See what Dorcas has to say about Lily and James' relationship, oooh!...


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